The Story
“Wake up, Kellie! Today’s the big day!” My dad called out as he switched the light on in my bedroom and walked in, my mother behind him. I struggled to open my heavy eyelids, and took in the site of a neatly kept apartment bedroom. It was quite clean, as I had only lived in it for 3 days, and I smiled as I got up. This was my own apartment; in a few days my parents would be going home to Arizona, and I would be here in London, living independently and making a living on my own.
I got out of bed while my parents cooked breakfast in the kitchen. I took a shower, dried my curly blonde hair and pulled it into a loose ponytail, and went back to my room to get dressed. I looked through my closet and pulled out the black scoop neck shirt I had planned on wearing. It had a vintage screened pattern on it with a “Romeo and Juliet” motif. I was going to wear it with my new faded Miss Sixty jeans and my black and white pumas. But as I looked at it now, it seemed so…plain. I wouldn’t be surprised if I ran into ten different girls wearing a similar outfit that day. This day was very important to me, and I didn’t want to look like every other girl out there.
This day was a dream come true, the start of what was sure to be a wonderful life. I had been chosen to act the part of Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, as well as the two movies that would follow it. To my excitement, I was picked for my talent, not for my looks. In fact, I normally had straight brown hair, but they offered to take me as long as I promised to dye it blonde and get a perm so I would have Luna’s wavy locks. I would have to wear blue colored contacts, as my eyes are naturally deep green. Today I would meet the rest of the cast, whom I would be working with for many months to come.
I changed my mind on my outfit and pulled out a grey deep V-neck lightweight sweater, a white cotton skirt with blue floral print, and blue velvet flats. I put the outfit on, and then applied my makeup and slipped on a silver necklace with a crescent-shaped pendant.
“Alright, we need to leave in twenty minutes if we want to make it to Leavesden by noon.” My dad said as we sat together eating eggs and soldiers. When I finished, I brushed my teeth, re-applied lip gloss, and grabbed my brown croc skin purse.
“I’ll drive!” I said as my parents followed me out the door, and I pulled out the keys to my brand new black mustang. We got in the car, headed for the M2, and were on our way to Leavesden.
One hour later, I was sitting in the parking lot of Leavesden Studios. “Good luck, sweetie!” my mom said, hugging me. “So call us when you’re done, we’ll be doing touristy things.” My dad added. I smiled, then got out of the car and they left.
I could see a few photographers, and I assumed they were there to see the big stars like Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and Dan Radcliffe. However, when one of them spotted me, he signaled to the other five or so, and they all turned around and bombarded me, taking a bunch of pictures. I was immediately surprised, and a security guard was quickly by my side, making way for me to go through the crowd. I wasn’t expecting to see paparazzi, so I basically just tried to look normal and smile.
“Not used to it, are you?” the guard asked kindly as we walked through the courtyard. “Not at all! I definitely wasn’t expecting that…” I laughed as we walked through the doors into the front office. “They want your picture now so they know what you look like when you’re caught off-guard. That way they know if they’ll make a lot of money catching you make funny faces.” He added with a chuckle. Then, he pointed me towards the meeting room where I was to go, and left me.
I combed my fingers through my hair and made sure my outfit looked alright, and then walked through the door to a meeting room full of people running around talking through walkie-talkies and barking orders. A woman saw me, smiled, and said, “Kellie Holt, right? Follow me!” So I followed her to the corner, where a few more nervous looking people my age were sitting. I sat down, and a moment later another woman with her hair slicked back into a restricting bun walked up to us.
“Welcome, new cast members! My name is Linda Rogers and I’m the events coordinator for the studios! Today you’re going to go to the meet-and-greet with the rest of the cast, so why don’t you follow me?” she said, and we all stood up to follow her. On the way, I talked to a girl my age with deep brown hair. “My name’s Andrea Michaels,” she said, “and I’m playing Lavender Brown.” I explained that I would be acting as Luna Lovegood, and we talked as we walked down the hall behind Linda Rogers.
We soon stopped, and Linda turned around and said, “Alright, the rest of the cast is in here! Just have fun, be yourselves, and talk!” then opened the doors. I was flooded with excitement when I saw the entire cast watching us walk in. Soon everyone began to mingle. I met everyone, but talked mostly to Katie Leung, Bonnie Wright, and Rupert Grint.
Soon Bonnie and Katie ran off to talk to other friends and Rupert and I were left together. We talked for a bit as Rupert introduced himself to the new cast members, and also introduced me to people I hadn’t already met.
“So you’ve never acted before? That’s how I was when I first started Harry Potter. It was right scary if you ask me, but I love it now!” Rupert explained. Soon Linda Rogers quieted the room. “Alright, everyone, time for lunch in the dining hall!” and everyone made their way out the door.
Two and a half hours later, we were through with the activities, and everyone was making their way to the parking lot to go home. I called my dad and Rupert offered to wait with me until they showed up.
“Wow, I can’t believe we start filming Monday!” I said excitedly as we waited inside. Outside we could see even more photographers than before, as well as a news camera and a bunch of fans. Rupert smiled. “Yeah, I’m excited. It’s going to be great working with you!” then he looked out the window and added, “Wow, it’s mad out there! I think I see a car…looks like a black mustang, is that yours?”
“Yeah! Well, I guess we have to brave it…ready?” I clung to my purse as Rupert opened the door and we walked through, only to hear a burst of chatter and people shouting. Cameras flashed in our faces, and we smiled as we made our way through the crowd. My dad was waiting, and he handed me my keys and got in the passenger side. I said goodbye to Rupert, he promised to find me and say hello Monday morning, and I got in the car. Half of the photographers followed Rupert to his car, while half of them crowded around the window of mine. I drove slowly until I was out of the crowd, and then made my way back to London.
The next day, Saturday, my parents took me shopping. They announced that since it was the last time they would have to fund me for a while, they would treat me to some new clothes. “After all,” my mom explained as we ate breakfast around my small kitchen table, “you’ll be a big star soon. You’re going to need some great clothes!”
So I got dressed—jeans and a black halter with a cranberry zip-up hoodie and black and white Pumas—and we headed to Anthropologie. “So,” My mom asked me in a playful voice as we browsed the store, “Are you excited for Derek to come visit you?”
She was talking about my boyfriend, Derek, who lived in Arizona. We had been going out for four months when I got the call that I got the part, and by now it had been seven months. He would be on spring break in two months—the middle of March—and was coming to visit me for the week.
“Of course I am.” I said, a smile spreading across my face. Derek would be staying in a hotel down the street, and he wanted me to try out all the nearby restaurants so I could pick a really good one for us to go to.
I ended up doing most of my shopping in Anthropologie, purchasing 3 sweaters, 2 dresses, a blouse, one coat, and a pair of cropped pants. I also picked up two pairs of wedge heels, one pair of kitten heels, and one pair of flats.
“Ooh, how about some nice jewelry?” My mom offered before we checked out. I was beginning to wonder why my parents were so willing to buy me all these clothes and shoes—and now accessories? This was unusual. When I inquired, my mom began to get slightly teary-eyed, and my dad put his arm around her shoulder and explained, “Well, Kellie, you’re going away for a long time. We’re going to be across the ocean. We want to know that you’ve got all the clothes and things you need before we leave, because this is the last time we’ll be helping you buy things for a long time. Do you know how scary that is for us?”
My mom came and hugged me, and I hugged her back—realizing now just how much I would miss them. “You know I’m going to miss you guys too, right? Megan as well. I love you guys. But don’t worry about me, okay? I’ll be home before you know it.” I gave them each a big hug and my mom led me over to the accessories.
As I picked out a chocolate brown goatskin shoulder bag, my mom came over with a gorgeous aqua velvet clutch with a peacock feather embroidered onto it. “This would go so nicely with that dress you picked out,” she said, pointing to the simple brown jersey dress in my hand. I held them up and the brown really made the aqua pop. “Wow, you’re right!” I said, and my mom tossed it into the basket my dad was carrying for us.
My parents helped me pick out a good watch, a nice tan leather cargo one, then two belts—one black woven leather and one brown leather with a blue elephant buckle with red flowers on it. Finally, with 17 new things, we purchased them and carried the bags back across the street to my flat.
I suggested that, since it was 5:30, we go out to dinner. We went to a Japanese restaurant and ordered some sushi and tempura chicken. This was our last night together, they would be leaving the next afternoon, so we made the most of our time together.
I woke up the next morning and got dressed for church. I was trying a church that I had seen down the street, as I needed to find a good church to start going to. I put on the charcoal cropped pants I had bought the day before, with a long sleeved black v-neck top and the woven black leather wood wedges I had also purchased at Anthropologie.
I let my parents sleep in, as they would need the extra rest to help get rid of the jet lag once they got back to Arizona, and left the apartment. As I walked next door to the parking garage where my car was parked, a girl ran up to me and stopped just in front of me. She was about 10 years old, and she had an excited look on her face as she said, “You’re the girl playing Luna Lovegood, right?”
I smiled and said yes, and she asked for my autograph. This was the first time I had ever been asked for an autograph by a fan, so I was sure to be extra careful as I signed my name. Her mom approached and asked for a picture, so I posed with her and she thanked me before I left.
When I arrived at the church, I found the room where the high school group was held and went in. the service didn’t begin for ten minutes, and a group of girls welcomed me in and introduced themselves.
“So, you’re American?” a girl named Chelsea asked excitedly when I introduced myself. “What brings you to London?”
I explained that I would be acting in Harry Potter, and they all went mad. “A real actress?!” The girl who introduced herself as Samantha exclaimed, “In our church? That’s amazing!”
I smiled, but hoped they wouldn’t treat me differently now that they knew this. Luckily for me, they didn’t. They all welcomed me warmly, and soon the service began.
I absolutely loved the service. The youth pastor was funny and understandable, everyone there was nice, and I enjoyed the message. It reminded me a lot of my church back home, which I missed very dearly. I decided right away that this was where I wanted to go.
When I got home to my flat, my parents were making lunch. We sat down and had tuna sandwiches, and then my mom went into the guest room, where they would stay when they visited, and finished packing their luggage. When it was all in the living room, ready to go, I began to feel homesick. I missed my home, my sister, my church, and my friends. Right now, I thought, I would be studying hard for the SATs, which I would inevitably hate—but I’d still be in the comforts of my home.
I told myself immediately to calm down. After all, this was simply a new chapter in my life. I was growing up, moving out, yes, but only temporarily. Before I knew it I would be home, and I’d probably be excited to come back to London. I just needed to shape up and I told myself my life was going to be great—and I knew it was.
“Well, Kellie, I guess we should get ready to go to Heathrow.” My dad announced with a bit of reluctance in his voice. I helped them take their luggage downstairs and out to the parking garage, and loaded them one by one into the trunk of my car.
When we arrived at Heathrow, my parents checked their luggage and got their boarding passes out. I couldn’t go past the boarding gate, so this was where we said goodbye. I began to cry in their arms, but reminded myself of what I had thought about earlier. So, with a tissue my dad handed me, I dabbed the tears away from my eyes and smiled. I didn’t want them to see me cry as they left, I wanted them to know I would be happy.
“You’ll be great, hon.” My mom said reassuringly as she hugged me. “You’re a great actress and you’ll show that to the world. We’re so proud of you, you know that?”
My dad gave me one last hug and said, “you go to the sets tomorrow and kick some wizard ass, got it?”
I laughed at this, and then looked at my watch and said, “Well—I guess you should be going, your plane boards in 20 minutes. I love you!” And that was where they left.
In the car on the way home, I drowned everything out with some loud music. It was like an emotional tidal wave inside of me—one minute I was so sad that I was leaving home, the next I was excited for my life to come. Finally, I decided, it was time to stop worrying. I stopped at the local cup cake shop, the Cup-Cakery, which I heard had the best cupcakes in London, and ordered a double chocolate cupcake—a perfect solution those pesky emotions.
The next morning I woke up easily—the night before I was sure to go to bed extra early so I would look refreshed and awake. I danced around excitedly as I got ready and sang out loud. I was on my own, starting a new life, and today was the first day I was filming!
I pulled my loose curls around my fingers and pulled half of my hair back in a clip at the back of my head, letting the rest fall around my shoulders. I put a little makeup on, as I would be going in for hair and makeup before the movie, but still wanted to look presentable in case there were more photographers waiting outside. I slipped on a white short-sleeved button down shirt with thin maroon stripes, green khaki Bermuda shorts, and black point-toed flats, all of which I had purchased at Top Shop.
I looked at the clock as I put on some peachy-pink lip gloss. “Eeeee! Almost time to go!” I squeed excitedly. I checked my reflection in the mirror, and then grabbed the suede-and-shearling jacket my parents bought me at Anthropologie and threw it on to keep warm.
I grabbed my purse and left the house, nearly freezing to death on my way to the car. Clearly these shorts would do me no good in London’s frozen February weather. However, it was too late to change now, so instead I braved it and turned the heat way up when I got in my car.
I hopped on the M2 and before I knew it, I was back at Leavesden studios. There were 6 paparazzi there today, and I could see someone making their way through the crowd already. As I parked my car and the person disappeared into the building, the photographers turned towards me.
Immediately the kind security guard from Friday was standing outside the door of my car as I climbed out. Cameras snapped and questions were shouted out, and this time I was a little more expectant of all of this. I smiled as the security guard guided me through the photographers. “Kellie,” a man with a missing tooth and a ponytail shouted, “we saw you with Rupert the other day after the meet and greet. Have you hit it off with him yet?”
I ignored this question—I wanted dearly to shout out that I had a boyfriend at home, but I figured it would be a stupid idea and I’d get a talking-to from my agent, so instead, I didn’t answer. We were soon in the warm building and I thanked the guard, who introduced himself as Chuck, and was quickly rushed off, straight to my new dressing room.
When I arrived at the dressing room, there was a simple nameplate reading “Kellie Holt” on it. I guess I wasn’t exactly expecting a grand entrance, but didn’t people usually get stars? I realized that the stars were probably just movies, and when I was shown into my room I quickly got used to it. It was a bit bland, plain white walls with an oak desk and a bed with white covers on it. There was an oak dresser with a large mirror and a chair in front of it, and once the woman that had guided me in—the assistant to Linda Rogers—left, I plopped down and looked around. I opened a few drawers and found all kinds of great things.
It was obvious that, before coming on set, research had been done on me. Because in one drawer of the dresser I found all the fashion magazines I could ever imagine. I pulled them out one by one, all the most recent March issues. Teen Vogue with Emily Browning. Vogue with Emmy Rossum. Bazaar with Rachel McAdams. InStyle with Angelina Jolie. There were more, too. British Vogue, Australian Vogue, Glamour, Brit Glamour, W. I couldn’t imagine being able to buy all of these in one month—I’d probably run out of time and money!
I opened the mini fridge next to the door and pulled out a can of sprite, fell onto the bed, listened to Lily Allen on my iPod, and began reading Teen Vogue.
It was an hour before anyone came in to help me. That was perfectly fine with me, though. I was now listening to Martina McBride and reading the article about Emily Browning, one of my favorite teen actresses. It was, once again, Linda Rogers’ assistant who came in. “Oh, good!” She said cheerily as she entered, “You’ve found the commodities! You make yourself right at home in here, hon; it’s your own little room!”
I thanked the girl, who then introduced herself as “Ashley Lambert, coordinator and assistant to Linda Rogers, who is the coordinator for activities at Leavesden Studios.” She had gorgeous strawberry blonde hair that was pulled into a loose, wavy ponytail. Her eyes were kind and she wore jeans tucked into rich reddish-brown leather boots and a deep red cowl neck sweater.
“Well, now, it’s time for you to get started! Are you excited?” Ashley asked after scanning a clipboard in her hand and marking a few things on it. I nodded, and she led me out of the room and to an elevator, where we went to the second floor and entered a room with bright lights and 7 hair and makeup stations. However, we passed this and went to another huge room where there were various racks of clothing and accessories
“Kellie, this is Anne Maxine. She’s the costume designer, and she made or picked out all of the great clothes you’ll be wearing in the film. This,” Ashley said, indicating a 20-something girl with raven black hair, “is Felicity. She’s the costume coordinator, and you’ll be working with her the most—she’ll get you into your costume and explain it to you!” and with that, Ashley left.
Anne stayed a few minutes and talked to me, but then got a beep from her pager and had to leave. Felicity was quiet at first, but once we introduced ourselves for real and began talking, she really loosened up. It was no wonder she specialized in clothing—she wore a gorgeous white eyelet dress with a brown suede sash belt, one I had seen in Anthropologie the other day, which had an adorable silver Owl buckle.
“Okay, so as Luna you’re kind of the crazy girl of the bunch, as you know, so you’ll be wearing really strange, undesirable clothing. It won’t be, like, a potato sack or anything--it’ll just be a lot of tartan skirts, woolly sweaters, woolly tights, Mary-Janes, and so forth. Here’s what you’ll be wearing for now,” Felicity said as she pulled a few hangers off the rack. She held up my outfit: A brown cable-knit sweater, a green and brown tartan tweed skirt, black tights, and black flats.
“Well…it’s not too terrible, really.” I offered. “Yeah, this one isn’t too bad! It’s the most…mellow…though, so there’s your warming.” Felicity said, laughing. “Okay, so this is for the scene in the Three Broomsticks with Harry, Hermione, and Rita Skeeter.”
I had obviously already gone over my script many times, so I was really excited to hear this—that was one of my favorite scenes for Luna in the movie. After I changed into the outfit, Felicity made sure everything fit right and was straight and tidy. She used a lint roller to get a few bits of dust off, then led me over to the hair and makeup stations, wished me luck, and excused herself.
Now a woman with big blonde curly hair came in and introduced herself as Pam, the hair stylist. As she twisted a lock of my hair around a curling iron, a woman in white pants and a black smock over it introduced herself.
“I’m Janet, the makeup artist. I’ll be working away on your face while Pam does her magic!” she said, and with that she spread open a huge case of makeup and started to apply it to my face evenly and carefully.
Ten minutes in, the door opened and in came Emma Watson, Bonnie Wright, and Katie Leung. Pam and Janet greeted them cheerfully, and they all came over and said hello. I had already met them, and they stayed for a minute talking to me before Felicity came in and they went to change.
When they were through, they all came in and sat at the stations, and suddenly 3 makeup artists and 3 hair stylists came in and began their work on the girls. “You mean, you two aren’t the only ones?” I asked, surprised to see more stylists.
“Oh, no! We couldn’t get all this work done, just the two of us!” Pam said, laughing. As they worked on me, they asked me questions so we could get to know each other, since we would be seeing each other so much now.
An hour later, Pam was finished with my hair. She spritzed more hair spray on, and as she did this Janet, too, finished. I looked at my reflection in the mirror in awe.
“So, do you like it?” Janet asked as I studied my hair and makeup.
“I love it! It looks like I’m hardly wearing anything, but it’s an improvement, that’s for sure,” I said, “And my hair looks fabulous!” Janet and Pam smiled proudly, and Ashley Lambert re-entered the room to lead me out.
She took a moment to chat with Janet and Pam, and I used this time to talk to Bonnie, Katie, and Emma. They were already dressed and their hair and makeup were almost ready.
As we talked I looked over their outfits. The scenes we were filming were to be the Valentine’s Day trip to Hogsmeade. Harry and Cho were going on a date, as well as Ginny and Neville, so they were dressed nicely. Katie wore a cream pleated skirt with blue flowers, a light blue cable-knit sweater, a silver three-strand charm necklace, and cream ballet flats. Bonnie wore an overly frilly peach-colored dress, a cream cardigan, and black point-toed flats.
Hermione didn’t have a date in this scene, however, so Emma was simply wearing a blue-and-cream Fair Isle knit cardigan, jeans, and blue sneakers. They all looked very much in-character suddenly, and when they were finished they joined me. Ashley was deep in conversation with all of the stylists now, and we were running out of time before filming began.
“Hey, Ashley, we’d really like to get to know Kellie better—how about you let us show her what to do and you can take a break?” Katie offered. Ashley was excited to hear this and told the girls where we were to go next, and we went off together.
“I’m so glad we’re going to have another girl on the set!” Bonnie said excitedly. “For the first three films it was just me and Emma, but now we’ve got Katie, Tiana, Afshan, and Shefali!” she said, referring to the girls playing Angelina Johnson as well as Parvati and Padma Patil.
Two hours later I was on the set waiting to begin filming the first scene. This was just me and Emma, talking in the Three Broomsticks before Harry and Rita Skeeter show up. We were in our places in front of the cameras and Emma was telling me some last-minute tips to avoid getting scared and freezing up.
Just as we were about to begin, Rupert and Dan entered and came up to wish us luck. “Sorry I didn’t say hello earlier like I said I would,” Rupert said apologetically, “but I couldn’t find you on the set.”
“Oh, that’s okay! I was in my dressing room for a while, anyways.” I said, and movement began on the set. The director, David Yates, gave us instructions, and then backed off behind the camera. Suddenly, the words came, “Action!”
Scene:
Hermione: *twirls mug of butterbeer in hand* so…Luna.
Luna: *rests head in hands, looking away dreamily.* Yes, Hermione?
Hermione: *shifts uneasily* Erm…you and Ron…well…*clears throat nervously*
Luna: *looks up, seeming more interested* Ronald?
Hermione: *slightly annoyed* Yes, Ronald. You seem to be getting along very well…
Luna: But of course we are! He’s so easy to relate to, you know.
Hermione: Yes. Well. I’d know that…because I’ve been friends with him for 5 years, you know.
Luna: mhmmm…
Hermione: We’ve got a lot in common, Ron and I
Luna: so it seems
Hermione: We’ve helped each other through very tough times…
Luna: *airily* Yes, he’s told me
Hermione: And Ron is very---wait, what did you just say?
Luna: Huh?
Hermione: You said…you…
Luna: I said he’s told me…
Hermione: Has he really?
Luna: Yes, Ron always talks about you. You know, I think he’s fond of you.
Hermione: Oh…well…I mean, we’re really good friends, that’s probably why he talks about me
Luna: *airily* No…
Luna: he doesn’t talk nearly as much about Harry…
“And, cut!”
I nervously stood up from the table with Emma as David Yates pulled us over to his side. “You were wonderful, ladies! Absolutely fantastic. This is a great start to our filming! Alright, now let’s get Harry and Rita up here!”
I was so proud I nearly jumped with joy. He told me I was fantastic on my first try! As we took our places on set again, I was beaming so much that I had to force myself to adopt the airy, dreamy look for Luna.
By noon I was starving, and I made my way to the cast lunchroom for some food. On the way, Bonnie stopped me. “Kellie, we have a tradition that every year on the first day of filming we go out for lunch. There’s this great diner that we always go to, and we’re heading out soon—we’d love for you to come with!”
Luckily, I had brought a few changes of clothes in case they were necessary. I pulled out the brown jersey blouson dress I bought at Anthropologie and threw on a denim jacket and some brown gladiator sandals. I grabbed my purse and went to meet everyone in the Lobby.
There were a ton of people going—Rupert, Dan, Bonnie, Emma, Katie, Tiana, Rachel, Shefali, Afshan, Matthew Lewis, Tom Felton, and Devon Murray—and when we got to the diner, we were ushered to a VIP room in the back of the restaurant where we were able to all sit together in privacy.
I sat between Bonnie and Katie, and as everyone else took their seats, Devon seemed to make it a point to sit next to Bonnie. While we looked over the menus they were talking and Bonnie was giggling quite a bit.
After we ordered our food, Emma and I made a trip the loo and I brought this up. “Are Bonnie and Devon dating? Because they sure seem to fancy each other” I said as we reapplied lip gloss and fixed our hair.
“Oh,” Emma said with a sigh, “They’ve been like that for over a year now. Always flirting and giggling, but they’ve never gone anywhere from there. Poor Bonnie, she really likes Devon, but she doesn’t want to be the first to establish a relationship, she wants him to make the first move. I don’t know if it’s because he’s 2 years older or just clueless, but Devon’s never done anything about their relationship”
I immediately felt sorry for Bonnie. After all, I knew very well how it felt to do everything you can possibly imagine to get the attention of a boy, but still get nowhere. In fact, before Derek and I started dating, I had liked him for quite a while. It was the end of our sophomore year when he finally asked me out, but I had liked him since the very beginning of the school year. At the time he had a girlfriend, and the most we did was talk once in a while. Finally, though, he started showing interest and, with time, asked me out.
When we were through with our lunch, we returned to the studios and shot two more scenes in Hogsmeade. Before I knew it, the day was over and I was changing into my regular clothes in my dressing room. As I left, I was met by Rupert and Bonnie. We talked a bit, then said our goodbyes and went home. Rupert, who lived near Bonnie, always gave her a ride home, so they disappeared together in his car, and I climbed into mine, turned the heater on, and drove home.
---------------------------------------
Two weeks into filming, everything turned from exciting, new experiences to routine. I had finally met everybody in the cast, and most of the crewmembers. Occasionally paparazzi would wait outside the studios or find their way back to the outdoor sets, but I didn’t really mind. I loved when fans were allowed on set, though, and we were given 15 minutes’ break to sign autographs. I really knew how they felt, because for so long I was like them—so hopeful that I would be able to see the world of Harry Potter as it was being filmed up close. And now here I was a part of the cast—I was in that world.
One Friday night after filming, Katie approached me excitedly. “Hey, Kellie, you know Bonnie is turning 16 on the 17th, right?” I nodded as she pulled me away from a big group of people. “Well, we are planning a surprise party for her—since it’s her sweet 16 and we all want it to be really special for her. So we’re going to rent out a place and have a big old party with all kinds of people there. Would you like to help plan it with me and Emma?”
“I’d love to! That sounds like a ton of fun.” I said, and then added, “What do you want me to do?”
“I was thinking, could you do invitations? I’ve got a list made up already—it’s mostly people from the Harry Potter cast, but there are a few others from the two TV shows she’s been on. Also, Emma and I figured out her favorite actors and actresses, people she’d like to meet, and we’d like to try to get a few of them here, so they’re on the list, too.”
Katie handed me a long list with over 100 names on it, thanked me, and then spotted someone else and excused herself to talk to them. “Remember, put in the invitations that it’s a surprise, so not to mention it to her!” she added before leaving.
When I got home, I went online to look for companies that made handmade invitations. I figured ordering them would be easier, as I didn’t have the time to make them myself. I got an email as I browsed a site, and when I checked it, it was from Emma.
>>To: endsinsilence@yahoo.com
>>From: liv2dance@yahoo.co.uk
>>RE: Bonnie’s Surprise!
Kellie!
Just wanted to let you know the details of Bonnie’s party.
The theme is going to be a premier, since Bonnie absolutely
Loves the atmosphere at premiers. So we’re going to have a
Red carpet, professional photographers, and Bonnie’s favorite
Band, The Killers, are going to be performing! I know she’s
Going to have a blast. So here’s the information you’ll need
In the invitations:
-February 17th, 2007
-8pm to midnight
-The Killers will be performing at 10
-invitation only
-RSVP required (Use Katie’s cell number)
-two guests allowed per invitation
Be sure to include the theme, and you might want to mention
That, for a more movie-premier-feel, we’ve hired professional
Photographers to act as paparazzi. Of course, food will be
Provided and don’t forget to make a note that it’s a surprise, so
They can’t mention anything about it to Bonnie!
See you Monday!
Emma
I picked out some cute invitations—white cardstock with adorable green and pink flowers stitched onto one side, and then ordered 112, the number of people we were inviting. As I read through the list I saw the usual—Rupert, Dan, and the rest of the current Harry Potter cast. I also saw former cast members such as Clemence Poesy (Fleur Delacour) Robert Pattison (Cedric Diggory) and Stanislav Ianevski (Viktor Krum).
I got to the end of the list and saw the actors and actresses that Bonnie admired. They included Liv Tyler, Rachel McAdams, John Rhys-Meyers, Sienna Miller, and Isla Fisher. At the very bottom of the list were the names “Princes William and Harry Windsor” and next to the names Katie had written in parentheses, “(it’s worth a try, right?)”
Once I had typed up all the names and addresses of these people, I typed up the information to be put on the invitations, filled out my billing information, and sent them off. Bonnie had recently had a photo shoot, so I was sure to include a print of the best photo of her in the invitations. After that, I was beat. Luckily it was a Friday night so I had the weekend off from filming, so I went and curled up in bed, covered myself in lots of warm blankets, and fell asleep.
The next morning the doorbell rang, and I received a package. Inside were three samples of the invitations I had sent out—I sent them on overnight delivery since it was February 25th and Bonnie’s birthday was March 17th, so there was little time. The invitation came in a green suede box with pink stitching and binding, and when I opened it up, I was excited to see that there were no typos or any other problems. There was a note with the samples that said the invitations had been successfully delivered.
I wasn’t quite sure how to spend my day off—I didn’t feel like shopping, I had done enough of that already. I considered going to a museum, but didn’t want to go alone. Just as I was considering going to the movie rental store and getting a few good movies to lounge around watching, my cell phone rang.
I looked at the display screen, which said “unknown number,” but I answered it anyways. “Hello?” I asked, and noticed that there was a lot of background noise. “Kellie?” came the voice on the other line.
“Is this…Derek?” I asked, realizing I already knew the answer. Derek laughed and said, “Yeah. I miss you.” Suddenly in the background I heard, “Flight 127 departing for Glasgow is now boarding.”
“I miss you too…are you in an airport or something?” I asked, and then realized the voice I had heard had a British accent. “Derek…where are you?”
“I’m here.” He said, and I nearly shrieked in excitement.
“Here, as in…London? Derek, are you at Heathrow?” I asked, just hoping he wasn’t joking. When he said he was, I dropped the phone and had to quickly pick it back up.
When he told me where he was, I quickly got ready to pick him up. Heathrow wasn’t too far away from my flat, and Derek said baggage pickup was delayed for a while, so I had time to take a quick shower and do my hair—half back in a clip, half curled, reaching past my shoulders.
I threw on a pair of dark wash cuffed jeans, a tan henley with a sequined collar, and a brown tweed jacket with a waste-tie and lace trim on the sleeves, which I had bought at Anthropologie. I grabbed the purse I had been using as a carryall lately—my Coach signature tan Hampton hobo—and slipped on a pair of tan sequined ballet flats, grabbed my keys, and left.
When I got to the airport Derek wasn’t waiting outside yet. I realized I hadn’t put any makeup on, so I put on mascara and blush and a bit of lip gloss. Just as I finished, I saw Derek walk out, and I pulled up and helped him put his luggage in the trunk. Before getting in, he gave me a huge hug and a kiss.
“Derek—this is amazing! I thought you weren’t coming until the middle of March!” I said as we drove out of the airport and towards my apartment.
“I know, so did I! My parents surprised me with this—I’m just taking the week off school, I guess. They planned everything out for me; I’m staying at the same hotel I’ll be in when I come back in March.”
I was overjoyed to have Derek here. I brought him to his hotel and he checked in. We brought his luggage up to his room and then went back to my apartment. I showed him around and then Derek said, “I’m gonna catch a cab back to my hotel and get changed—then we can go out for lunch, okay? You pick the place.”
Before he left, Derek added, “By the way—I’m taking you out to dinner, too, so I want you to pick somewhere for us to go. Somewhere nice that you like, okay?” and with a smile and a soft kiss on the cheek, he left.
Derek left and I fell onto the couch. After about three minutes of just lying there dreamily, I realized I had a lot of work to do. I decided that it would be kind of nice to take Derek to the diner where we went on the first day of filming, that way I could also show him around the studios while we were in Leavesden. Then I picked out what I would wear—a Riviera-esque Blumarine dress. It was white jersey with colorful abstract flowers, red lace trim, velvet straps, and it kicked out into soft ruffles mid-thigh, which ended just below the knee. I had never worn it before, and was actually planning on wearing it when Derek came in March, but I figured I had plenty of time to find something else for that visit.
I put on a pair of mules I had borrowed from Emma—tan Dior mules with the Dior logo printed on them. They had one red patent leather stripe and a tiny silver plate with “Dior” cut out of it. They went perfectly with the colors in the dress. I put a black cardigan with a tie-waste on over it to fight off the cold weather, and then transferred everything from my carryall to my DKNY red leather hobo bag. I went into the bathroom and pulled my hair out of the clip, so that it all fell down into wavy curls. I stained my lips with red gloss, touched up my mascara, and got on the phone to make dinner reservations.
I chose a nice restaurant down the street for dinner. Since it was last-minute, we couldn’t go anywhere too high-class, but I didn’t want to anyways, because I preferred more affordable dining, myself. After I got off the phone with the restaurant, I called Katie. Since she lived in Scotland normally, her parents had bought her a flat in London as well to live in during filming, rather than making her commute every day from Scotland to Leavesden.
“Hello, this is Katie.” Came Katie’s strong accent over the phone. I explained to her that Derek had surprised me, and that he and I were going out tonight and I needed a nice dress to wear. We wore the same size clothes, so we were constantly borrowing each other’s things.
“Ahh, I think I’ve got the perfect thing!” Katie said, and then added, “You like Dior, right? My parents got me this fabulous Dior dress for my birthday, it’s absolutely gorgeous. It’s coral crepe georgette with coral velvet trim and three bows on the bodice. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever worn. You’ll just adore it!”
She offered to bring it by while we were out, as Bonnie, Emma, Katie and I had exchanged keys to our homes in case we needed them. We had all become immediate best friends.
“By the way, I’ve got all the invitations done!” I added before we were finished talking, “I did it online with this great company that does handmade invitations. I had them overnighted, so everybody should have theirs by now. I got three samples, too, so I’ll leave one on the table for you.”
“Great! Oh, and Kellie, I’m going out with someone today, and I was wondering if I could wear those heels of yours—the metallic gold sandals with the pink tulle flower?”
As soon as we hung up, there was a knock at the door. Derek was back, and when I opened the door he handed me a beautiful bouquet of Stargazer Lilies. “Oh, my gosh. These are beautiful!” I said, kissing Derek tenderly. I put them in a vase, then set out an invitation and the shoes Katie was borrowing on the table.
When we got down to the lobby, Derek put his arm around my waist. He sighed and said, “You look stunning. Really, is it possible for you to not be beautiful?” I blushed at this. As we walked outside, a man approached us, pulled out a camera, and started snapping photos. I thought this was strange, as he was the only paparazzi around, and usually they traveled in packs.
“Just ignore it, he’ll go away eventually.” I said. Immediately, the doorman stepped up to the man and asked him to leave. We got into my car and left, hoping the man wouldn’t follow us, which usually tends to happen.
Twenty minutes later we arrived at the diner, and when we went in I immediately spotted Daniel and Katie at a table near the back. As the hostess showed us our seats, we passed by their table.
“Kellie!” Katie said when she spotted me, and jumped up to give me a hug.
“Hi! Katie, Dan, this is my boyfriend, Derek.” I said, giving Dan a hug as well, “and Derek, this is Katie Leung and Dan Radcliffe”
“Hi! Wow, nice to meet you.” Dan said, shaking Derek’s hand and adding, “We’ve heard so much about you.
I noticed that both Dan and Katie were dressed quite nicely. “Erm, would you two excuse us for a minute? I just need to, um, use the loo…coming with, Katie?” I said, taking Katie’s hand and pulling her into the loo.
“So, what brings you and Dan here?” I asked curiously as I touched up my lipgloss and Katie adjusted her hair.
“Oh, you know. Just…” Katie started, but trailed off.
“Well you sure look cute—I love this dress! Where did you find it?” I asked, looking at her dark teal chiffon halter dress with a ruched bodice and beaded seams.
“Oh, isn’t it great? It’s BCBG MaxAzria. Tiana and I were out shopping yesterday and I found it. I just adore it.” Katie said, admiring the dress in the mirror.
“Katie, are you and Dan on a date?” I finally asked, as I didn’t want to take much more time.
Katie shrugged, then began to deny it, but finally gave in. “yeah, we are. I mean, this is our first date—I don’t know if it’ll turn into anything. But I’ve liked Dan for the longest time. Please, don’t tell anybody yet, okay Kellie? I don’t want everybody to be watching us closely, just in case nothing happens.”
I promised not to tell anyone until Katie was comfortable with it, and then gave her a big hug. “Kate, hon, I’ve seen the way Dan’s looked at you. I’m sure it’s going to work out great!”
We returned to the table, where Derek and Dan were talking. It seemed like they were getting on great, which was wonderful. The hostess returned, looking slightly annoyed, and seated us to our table.
When we were finished with our lunch, Derek paid and, after saying goodbye to Katie and Dan, we drove to the studios, just down the road. When we arrived the security guard James, who I usually stopped to talk to in the morning, was outside. “Hello James!” I called out as we approached.
“James, this is Derek, my boyfriend.” I said, and James laughed. “I’ve heard quite a bit about you, boy!” he said, smiling as he shook Derek’s hand. “All wonderful things, too—lucky you.” James winked and Derek smiled.
I explained that I was going to show Derek around the studios, and James let me in. “The producers and director are here working on the script, as well. Enjoy yourselves!” James said, holding the door open for us.
I showed Derek all around the set—my dressing room, the green room, the 4 regular classroom sets, the great hall set, and the various other regular sets. Then I took him outside, where there were various large garages holding the big props, such as pieces of Hagrid’s hut and the whomping willow.
Three hours later we arrived back at my flat. When I walked in, there was a note on the table from Katie.
Kellie—
Love the invitations! You did a fantastic job
On them. Hope you and Derek are having fun
Today—I hope you love the dress, too! Look
Forward to seeing you (and meeting Derek)
Monday—he’s coming to the studios, right?
Until then, love you lots! Call me!
Katie
I set my stuff down and went into my room, where the gorgeous dress hung on a hanger on my closet door. Derek was watching TV in the living room, so I took my time trying the dress on. It fit perfectly—almost like it was a couture gown made just for me. The coral crepe reached just past my knees. I went into my closet to pick out a pair of shoes to wear with it. I picked some black leather peep-toe pumps with a small bow and a black faux crocodile clutch to wear.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror and sighed. I had never felt so confident and beautiful before.
“You still alive in there?” Derek called out jokingly. “Oh…yeah, I’ll be out in just a minute!” I quickly changed back into the outfit I had picked him up from the airport in. When I went back into the living room Derek was reading a book on the couch.
“Dinner reservations are at 6:30,” I said as I fixed a pot of tea—something I had become addicted to since moving to England. I looked at the clock and saw that it was already 4:30. “I’ll bring you back to your hotel room to change whenever you’re ready.” I handed Derek a cup of tea and sat down with my own, resting my head on his shoulder as he put his arm around mine.
We just sat talking for about 15 minutes. When we finished our tea, Derek looked at his watch. “I guess you probably want to be getting ready, right?” And took my empty mug to the kitchen sink to rinse them out. I got up and picked up my purse, pulled my keys out, and as we walked out the door, Derek took my hand in his.
When I got back to my flat, I went in the bathroom and started to do my hair. I first clipped half of it back with the same vintage Louis Vuitton clip I had used earlier, but then decided to pull my hair back into a loose curly bun, letting a few strands hand loose.
I put on some makeup, but kept it simple. When I put the dress on, I was careful not to let it touch my makeup. I zipped it up and slid on the shoes, then found the clutch I had picked out earlier and went to my jewelry box to find some earrings.
After trying just about every nice pair I owned on, I decided that nothing I had was beautiful enough to wear with this dress. So instead I went without jewelry. When the doorbell rang I knew it was Derek, so I quickly checked my reflection in the mirror and then went to answer the door.
When Derek came in, he had a bouquet of lilies for me, which I blushingly put in a simple silver vase. As I turned around to ask if he was ready to go, Derek held out a small green velvet box. In awe, I let him set it in my hand, and when I opened it, my mouth dropped.
Inside was a gorgeous pair of diamond chandelier earrings with a pear-shaped Peridot hanging from the end. “I hope you like them—I had the hardest time trying to find something that would be beautiful enough, but I realized nothing can compete with you. But I thought you might like these.”
Derek slipped the earrings out of the box and handed to me, and I put them on carefully. The green of the Peridot went perfectly with my coral dress. I set the empty box on the table and Derek took my hand in his and led me out the door.
----------------------------------------------
I woke up the next morning remembering the night before. The whole night seemed like a happy blur now, all romantic candle light and soft music, dancing and smiling. I remembered Derek walking me up to my apartment room, giving me the softest kiss on the hand, then kissing me strongly before saying goodnight. I had come in, dropped my purse on the table, kicked off my shoes, hung up Katie’s dress, carefully placed my new earrings in their box, then fallen into bed.
The weekend went by very quickly, and before I knew it, my alarm clock was beeping Monday morning, willing me to wake up and get ready to return to the studios.
I put a kettle of water on the stove for tea and went to take a shower. When I got out, I was too tired to do anything special with my hair, so I let it fall to my shoulders in loose waves. I put on a blue and white floral blouse and a dark blue jersey skirt, then found a pair of tan leather ballet flats I had borrowed from Tiana and wore them.
As I did my makeup and put in a pair of aqua round stud-encrusted earrings, my cell phone rang. As I went to answer it, I put on a bit of sheer pale pink lipgloss. It was Derek on the phone, and I reminded him that I would be picking him up in 20 minutes. I went into the kitchen and made my tea, then drank it, grabbed my purse and car keys, and left.
The whole day was exciting. When we arrived at the studios, there were even more paparazzi, and I was glad they’d be able to see that I did have a boyfriend, and wasn’t with Rupert. They seemed quite excited to see me with Derek, and took more pictures than usual. Chuck was waiting in the crowd, and he led us inside just like every other day.
The whole cast loved Derek, and they did everything possible to welcome him. At lunch we all went to the diner, and while we were there I pulled Katie into the bathroom. “So, how did it go with Daniel?” I asked when we were sure the loo was empty.
Katie giggled a bit, and then explained that it was wonderful, and that they were going out to dinner again in two days. As she told me the details, Emma came in. Rather than stop talking, Katie proceeded to tell Emma the good news. “After all,” she added when she was done explaining, “It’s official now—I can at least tell my friends!”
Next, Katie told us that she had been receiving a bunch of RSVP calls in the past few days—already Liv Tyler, Sienna Miller, and just about the entire cast and crew of Harry Potter had agreed to come. We decided that, in order to surprise Bonnie, I would invite her to a movie premiere with her to celebrate her birthday—that way she would be premiere-ready in the first place. Then, instead of going to the premiere, we would show up at her party.
We agreed to get a bunch of girls together to go shopping for our outfits for the party that weekend, and then I said I would take Bonnie shopping alone another time so she wouldn’t be suspicious, shopping in such a big group if it was just for the two of us.
--------------------------------------------
The week went by in a flash. Before I knew it, it was Friday night after filming. Derek would be leaving the next morning, and he and I were going out for dinner again. This time we were going to Antonio’s, a great pizza place with a fun atmosphere I had found a few weeks before.
I wore a crisp white short-sleeve button down blouse over a knee-length cotton skirt in pale blue and green stripes. My shoes were peep-toe flats in blue and gold brocade and I had a pink fabric rose in my hair, which was pulled back loosely into a clip. I felt elated and thought the happiness and love I had felt that week would never end.
As Derek and I left my apartment, we were greeted by a group of paparazzi. Derek held my hand in his own and led me away from the nagging photographers, staying ahead of them until we finally reached my car and drove away.
When we reached Antonio’s, I went in and found the owner, Antonio, a round Italian man with rosy cheeks and huge smile on his face all the time. Katie and I came to the restaurant often when we had nothing to do after filming, and Antonio loved when we came in.
As Derek and I sat eating our pizza, he reached over and took my hand in his. “Kellie, I think we need to talk about something before I leave.” He said, and I set my pizza down to listen—I was already worried about the tone in his voice, it wasn’t a happy one.
“We’ve been dating for 8 months now. I love everything about it, you know—but I don’t know if we should stay together right now.” Before I could say anything, I felt a lump growing in my throat. I tried to swallow it, but it stayed where it was. “I don’t want to lose you, though. I just don’t want to feel like I’ve restricted you from finding something new. I’m not entirely sure that we’re going to be together forever, and I want you to have the chance to figure it out, too.”
Tears were stinging in my eyes when I finally said, “You aren’t restricting me, Derek—I don’t want anyone else but you.” Derek reached across the table and wiped a tear from my cheek. “I want to be your friend, Kellie, I really do. But I think we should take a break. Let’s make a deal, okay?” he began, reaching across and taking my other hand, “when you’re finished filming this movie and you come back to Arizona, if you haven’t found anyone else or you aren’t happy with where you are, we’ll get back together.”
I nodded slowly, but couldn’t believe I was actually agreeing to this. I didn’t want to lose Derek, I wanted to stay with him even if we were currently living on separate continents. I wasn’t hungry after this, so Derek paid for our dinner and we left. On the way out Antonio noticed that I was unhappy and he simply gave me a huge hug and said, “You’re always welcome here, miss Kellie.”
The next day, I brought Derek to the airport and dropped him off. He gave me a hug before leaving and said he’d keep in touch, but I wasn’t too sure of this. I was sure he had good intentions, but simply breaking up with me like that seemed more of a way for him to be free and single again. I had cried all night, until I fell asleep on the couch, but now I was determined to forget about Derek.
Remembering my plans to go shopping that day, I went home and showered to get ready for the day. I called Katie and told her what had happened, and she offered to come over and get ready at my apartment so we could talk. I made some tea and toast while I waited for her to arrive
Katie was true in her word—she had literally thrown a robe over her pajamas and brought everything over that she would need, including clothes, makeup, and hair products. We set up camp in my bathroom and I told her the whole story. We drank tea, got ready to go, and said mean things about boys to help me feel better.
When we were ready to go—me in a green kimono-style top with pink and white flowers on it, jeans, and copper leather ballet flats and Katie in khaki green Bermuda shorts with a bow sash, a navy blue scoop-neck t-shirt, and brown beaded mule flats—I thanked Katie for being so supportive and helpful.
We met Emma, Tiana, Afshan, Shefali, and Andrea at a nearby outlet mall, and we all made a plan for which stores to go to. We all had great success in finding the perfect outfits—and it was no surprise they were all dresses.
Emma was the first to find the perfect dress—a pink Nicole Miller halter dress with a chiffon bodice and satin skirt. She twirled around it a few times and made sure it fit perfectly everywhere. When she was sure it did, Emma wasted no time paying for it. As we looked around Lanvin, Katie’s cell phone rang and when she answered it, she nearly squealed, “Clemence!”
Clemence Poesy was calling Katie to let her know she had flown into London the night before. Katie jumped on the chance to invite her shopping with her, and soon Clemence was in Lanvin shopping with us. She introduced herself to me politely, and I immediately knew why the girls all loved her so much—she was kind and funny, and amazingly beautiful.
Katie tried on a black chiffon v-neck dress in the Lanvin store, and when she came out of the dressing room in it, she had a huge grin on her face. “Guys,” she said, “this is perfect!” Clemence found a gorgeous brown chiffon Grecian dress with a beaded bodice in the Matthew Williamson boutique, and Afshan picked out a lovely green silk velvet Calvin Klein dress with a faint white butterfly design.
In the Moschino store, Shefali picked out a coral pink wrap dress with dark pink trimming. While everyone else looked at dresses in Sass & Bide, Emma and I lusted over a pair of dark denim skinny cigarette pants. We finally let them go, though, when Tiana came out of the dressing room in a gorgeous cream dress. It was three-tiered cream chiffon with bursts of tiny red flowers printed on it and tied spaghetti straps. It made her skin glow and her eyes stand out—it was perfect.
Andrea and I were the only two who hadn’t yet found the perfect dress. We stopped for sushi in the food court at noon, and Katie left the group for a few minutes when Dan called her—we all giggled about it while she was away, and admired her girlish smile and glowing cheeks when she returned.
After lunch, I decided to look in a small but mod-looking boutique called Shoshanna. I’m glad I did, too, because I found beauty in the form of a sea foam chiffon dress with sporadic silver beading. It had an a-line hem and a crossed bodice, and it fit beautifully. I fell in love the moment I saw it, and even more when I tried it on.
When we stopped in the Chloe boutique, Andrea went off on her own to look at dresses. Suddenly, she came running up to us in the shoe department with a brown robe-style dress with bronze beading. “Kirsten Dunst wore this dress! It’s gorgeous! It fits! I’m buying it!” we laughed as she obsessed over the dress, but knew we all felt the same when we found our own.
Now it was time to find shoes. I knew I wanted to find some silver sandals, but definitely in heels. A few of the other girls knew what they wanted, but most really had no idea.
We stopped first in Jimmy Choo. Katie found a pair of red birdcage heels to set off her black dress and I found the perfect silver heeled sandals, just like I had imagined. Clemence picked out a gorgeous pair of gold leather strappy heels and Afshan found gold sandals as well.
The next place we looked was Pedro Garcia, a small boutique between Jimmy Choo and Chloe. Tiana found a gorgeous pair of brown satin heels with raw edges and chain links on the toe strap. We looked around a bit—the shoes were gorgeous and in perfect colors—but nothing anyone needed for the party.
I pulled everyone into Christian Louboutin—even though I already had my shoes, I loved looking in that store. It’s a good thing I did this, too, because we found a truckload of perfect shoes. Shefali picked out some black ruched leather open-toe slingbacks, Andrea picked out black and brown leather boots to give her dress a ‘rugged’ feel, and Emma found magenta satin peep-toe slingbacks with an antique silver brooch on the toe of each shoe.
We had all found what we needed, and by now it was nearly dinner time, so we went out for dinner at an Italian restaurant downtown and went to see a movie. When we finally got done, it was well past 10 and we were all tired.
Monday morning came before I knew it, and I found myself having to explain over and over that Derek and I had split up, because people kept asking how he was and if he had gotten home alright. I found, though, that repeating this to everyone gave me a sort of closure—I felt like I could really move on.
When I told Rupert, he gave me a sympathetic look and a great big hug. “I’m sorry this happened to you, Kellie—you’re the last person in the world that deserves to be hurt like that.” I thanked him—Rupert was a wonderful friend and I told him I was glad I could talk to him.
The next weekend, I had invited Bonnie to the premiere of a small Indie film which was premiering in London the same night as her party. We set out at the same outlet mall to find the right outfit for her—and it didn’t take long. Upon stepping through the doors of the Kay Unger boutique, Bonnie spotted a chiffon leopard print halter dress with a full skirt. The pink undertones made her vivid ginger hair look strikingly beautiful.
“Ooh, Kellie, I want to go into Pedro Garcia—those are some sexy little heels right there!” Bonnie exclaimed, pulling me in as she pointed at a pair of rosy pink satin raw-edged kitten heels. They were simple and beautiful, and looked perfect with the dress. With only two weeks to the party, I had everything lined up to surprise Bonnie.
The next two weeks meant a hectic schedule—between the weekly long-distance phone calls to my parents, filming, and finishing plans for the party, I was booked solid. I had to call everybody that had RSVPed saying yes, they could make it, and remind them of the details. Amazingly, though, almost everybody invited had said yes—including Isla, Sienna, Liv, Rachel, and Jonathon. Also, to the excitement of Katie, Emma, and I, Prince William and Prince Harry had both agreed to come! We couldn’t believe our luck—and we knew Bonnie would love everything.
Finally, it was the day of the party. Katie, Emma, Tiana, and I were in the hall where the party would be held working with the party coordinator we had hired. The caterers were rushing about setting up the tables of food and drinks. When everything was basically ready, I sat at my laptop on the edge of the stage, setting up the music to be played.
I hadn’t finished getting ready for the party—there was still an hour before guests would begin arriving, and I that was about when I would be leaving to meet Bonnie. I still wore jeans, gold Marc Jacobs flats, and a green Juicy Couture sweatshirt that said “The Wonderful World of Juicy” and had a heart-shaped Earth on it. However, my hair was already pinned back, blonde curls cascading from the back, and my makeup was done.
Suddenly I heard shrieks of “Robert! How are you?” from the other girls. When I looked up, Robert Pattison had come in wearing a dark grey sweater and slouchy but fitted jeans. He said hello to everyone and gave them a hug. Katie pulled Robert over to the stage where I sat, one leg crossed under the other, which hung off the side of the stage. I was hunched over the laptop, putting the finishing touches on the music mix, when I looked up again to see Robert staring at me.
“He…Hello. You must be Kellie.” He said, holding out his hand. My first thought was that he was extremely attractive—even more so than in the photos I had seen of him. I shook his hand, which had a firm, confident grip. I couldn’t help but notice that, even after I had introduced myself and continued working on the music, Robert seemed to be staring at me.
When I was finished, and Robert had busied himself helping Tiana put up streamers, I excused myself from the room to change into my dress. I put it on, admiring how it looked in the full-length mirror of the ladies’ room, slid on my shoes, applied a bit of lipgloss and touched up my makeup.
When I went back into the ballroom, the three girls rushed up to me, already in their own gorgeous dresses, and we giggled over each other’s appearances, helping by wiping a smudge of mascara away or fixing a lock of hair that had begun to stick up. Robert came up and smiled. “Wow, ladies, I feel underdressed now! Why would you do that to me?” he joked.
We laughed and talked for a while, and once in a while I would catch a look from Robert that made my heart flutter—I was sure it was just one of those looks you accidentally exchange with every boy, but it always made me feel good.
“Well, I’ve got to go meet Bonnie at my flat soon, so I should be going—and you guys had better go down the red carpet before guests start arriving!” I said, and we all exchanged good-luck wishes, most directed towards me and my skill in tricking Bonnie, then each went our own way.
When I got to my apartment, I had about 5 minutes before Bonnie was supposed to show up. I had hired a limo, and just as I got the call that the driver had arrived and was on his way up, Bonnie knocked at my door. “Hey, Bonnie! Oh my gosh—you look gorgeous!” I cried when I opened the door—her gorgeous red hair was in tight curls and pulled back into three diamond-encrusted barrettes. Her skin looked radiant and the dress fit perfectly. As I let her in, there was another knock on the door. “Well, I guess that’s the limo driver! Are you ready to go?” I asked, and Bonnie nodded. “Happy birthday, by the way!” I added as I opened to door.
“You know, it’s funny—I’ve never heard of this movie. But that’s exciting—it’ll be a great surprise!” Bonnie said as we rode in the back of the limo drinking sparkling cider and listening to music. I nearly laughed at the ‘surprise’ part, but I held back and simply smiled and agreed. Before I knew it, we had arrived at the party. “Oh wow—this looks like a big scale premiere!” Bonnie said, looking out the window as we pulled up. “OH MY GOSH!” she screamed suddenly, and I nearly hit my head on the roof of the car. “Is that Rachel Mcadams?!’ she shouted. “Huh? Oh, yeah.” I asked, trying to seem nonchalant as I looked out the window, though I was excited both to meet all of these celebrities and to see the look on Bonnie’s face when she found out they were all here for her.
The car came to a halt at the entrance of the carpet, and when Bonnie stepped out, cameras began flashing madly and the crowd of fans went wild. This was my first time down a red carpet, even if it was fake, so this was exciting. Bonnie, still thinking this was a movie premiere, gave me little tips as we went along of how to greet the paparazzi and the fans. We signed some autographs and Bonnie received a lot of flowers from fans.
“Alright, let’s go inside!” I said excitedly, and we entered the doors to the main lobby. There were a few caterers in there, but mostly just ushers. “Miss Wright, Miss Holt, right this way.” One usher said, leading us to the doors going into the ballroom.
When the usher opened the doors, there was an eruption of shouting, and it all seemed to take the form of the words “SURPRISE! Happy Birthday!”
Bonnie staggered backwards slightly, taken aback by the shouting. Then she burst into laughter, with a few random tears of joy. “You guys—you did this for me?” she asked as Katie, Emma, and Tiana rushed over. We each gave her a hug and then the party really started—the music was great, the food was delicious, and the guests were wonderful.
Sienna Miller was the first to introduce herself, rushing over with a hunky guy on her arm. She wore a gorgeous Cacharel black wrap dress with multi-colored hearts over black tights and black pumps. “Happy birthday, Bonnie!” she said, giving her a double-cheek kiss and a hug. “I have to say, I’ve been a fan of yours for quite a while now! I loved your part in the Agatha Christie movie.” Bonnie blushed madly at this, and then they went back into the party.
Throughout the party, I was able to meet just about everyone there. It was my first taste of real, glamorous stardom, and I loved it. Everyone was beautiful; they all had perfect clothes, gorgeous hair, and flawless faces. For a moment, though, I worried that being compared to these near-perfect people would bring out every one of my flaws. I pushed that to the back of my mind quickly, though, and told myself that it was more important to enjoy the party than worry about such stupid things.
Every time I met someone new, I basically spent about the first two minutes adoring their clothing. Liv Tyler wore a gorgeous black wrap dress with tan leather loafer-style pumps. Isla Fisher wore a pale green satin ruched dress and purple-and-black lace peep-toe Jimmy Choos. Rachel McAdams wore a gorgeous Anna Sui peasant-style dress in red and white ethnic print with bold black accessories and Marc Jacobs pumps. Soon, however, I realized that their wonderful personalities stood out way more than their dresses.
About two hours into the party, an announcement was made that Prince William and Prince Harry had arrived. They entered the room to much applause, and Bonnie immediately welcomed them. They each gave her a kiss on both cheeks and a hug, but we were all a little disappointed to see that they both had their respective partners with them. Not to say that they weren’t wonderful and beautiful girls, we were just all slightly jealous.
I introduced myself to William and his French girlfriend Amelia, as well as Harry and his girlfriend Charlotte. Amelia and I hit it off quite well, and we ended up talking nonstop for about a half hour. William laughed and excused himself to introduce himself to some people, and Harry and Charlotte went off getting drinks.
I admired Amelia’s outfit, and told her so—a black strapless knee-length dress with a sweetheart neckline, a cream lace overlay, and a black velvet ribbon around the waist. “Thanks so much!” Amelia said, with her charming French accent. “I love shopping, and I always find the greatest things. You know, you have great style, too! I just adore your dress.”
Amelia and I eventually had to split up, but we were both convinced that we were bound to become great friends, and we exchanged phone numbers and made plans to go shopping together the next weekend.
The night went by amazingly fast. Everyone had a blast, and for a while Bonnie requested that we turn over the microphone for a bit of karaoke. Everyone loved that idea, and we all took turns singing loud, even the people that were terrible had a laugh about it. At the end of the evening, as guests were thanking us and saying goodbye, Robert Pattison came and gave me a hug. My insides fluttered slightly, but still I told myself not to get too excited—surely he was just as much of a friend to me as he was to the other cast girls.
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One week later I was getting ready to go shopping with Amelia. We had talked on the phone one night after filming, and decided we would go to a mall near her parents’ estate just outside of London which had a lot of high fashion boutiques as well as lesser-known names. I wore the same white short-sleeve button down blouse as I had worn the night Derek and I broke up, dark denim cuffed Bermuda shorts, and black canvas criss-cross slingbacks on cork wedges.
I drove out to the mall and met Amelia. She looked chic in a white blouse-style t-shirt, an orange pleated skirt with tiny white flowers, black patent ballet flats, and an orange double-strand beaded necklace. “Bonjour, Kellie! You look so cute. I love your purse, too!” Amelia said as she walked up and gave me a double-cheek kiss, and then pointed at my oversize red leather Bottega Veneta tote.
“Thanks! Yours is amazing—a Chloe Paddington, right?” I said in reply as we walked into the mall. I knew this automatically because, since the Chloe Paddington had been released three years prior, I had wanted one dearly. I explained this to Amelia as we entered the Chanel boutique.
Two hours later I had made three purchases: a black leather quilted Chanel Cambon logo tote, a black tulle knee-length skirt, and a pair of black satin pin-tucked Marc Jacobs stilettos.
“Before we head off on our own, why don’t we go to this great little vintage shop closer to London? They’ve got the best vintage designer stuff ever!” Amelia suggested. I had nothing else to do for the rest of the day, and it was only 2pm, so I agreed to go with her. After putting my bags in the trunk of my car, we climbed into Amelia’s Porsche and drove for about ten minutes until we got a bit further into London.
“Okay, here we are!” Amelia said excitedly as she shifted her car into park, a bit jerkily. She definitely wasn’t a great driver, but I didn’t mind—after all, it’s not as though she was my chauffeur. We climbed out and I pushed my oversized plastic sunglasses off my eyes and rested them in my hair. The shop was small and almost unnoticeable, but in the window rested beautiful vintage pieces—a gorgeous sundress, brooches, a silver engraved compact mirror, and uncountable amounts of jewelry. They were all displayed on a shelf covered in pale blue satin.
I was taking in the charming sites of the window when Amelia grabbed my arm. “Paparazzi alert. Let’s get inside.” She said. I looked up and could see in the reflection of the window a horde of paparazzi across the street. I realized, though, that their backs were turned. “Wait—they’re not watching us. I wonder who’s over there.” I said, willing myself to turn around. I put my sunglasses back on my face and watched as the crowd slowly moved apart and out walked none other than Robert Pattison.
When he spotted me, Robert smiled, waved, and began to cross the street. By now, the paparazzi had spotted Amelia and me as well, and they began shouting and following Robert, directly towards us. “Hey Kellie! I was hoping I’d be seeing you soon.” He said as he met us. The photographers were nearly across the street now, so instead of being polite and courteous by introducing Amelia and Robert, I grabbed both of their hands and pulled them inside the vintage store.
“Whoa—what’s wrong?” Robert asked as I closed the door and the paparazzi began pressing their cameras up against the glass and taking pictures. “Well, I don’t mind if they take pictures, but I hate when they surround you and make it nearly impossible to get away.” I explained. “Anyways, Amelia, Robert; Robert, Amelia. Amelia is Prince William’s girlfriend, Robert is an actor. He was in Goblet of Fire, but we only just met at the party last weekend.” I said as we looked around the store.
Soon, the store owner was outside telling the paparazzi off, and they were forced to wait further away from the store while we were inside. We all thanked her for the opportunity for privacy. Amelia wandered off to look at a display of antique brooches, and Robert stayed with me as I examined a few engraved silver compact mirrors.
“I’m glad we ran into each other.” Robert suggested as I set down a compact with a broken and rusty mirror and moved on. I tried to hide that I was blushing at this by turning away and pretending to take interest in a particularly scary looking porcelain clown. “Yeah—it’s nice hanging out with you…and…you know…” I said, trailing off before I said something too stupid.
As we looked around some more, I couldn’t help but feel shy. I hoped that I wasn’t blushing, because when I put a hand on my cheek, it was hot. I tried to hide my face by lifting up a floor length teal silk shirred dress from 1976 between me and Robert, pretending to examine it. I was surprised when Robert pulled the dress out of my hands and handed me a hanger. On it hung a gorgeous black jersey Roland Mouret dress. It was almost identical to the current big Mouret fashion, the Hawaiite dress. “This would look beautiful on you.” Robert said, handing it over. I read the tag—1964. It was only £60, a deal I couldn’t believe.
“Oh gosh my, Robert, this is amazing!” I cried. I found the nearest mirror and held the dress up to my body—a perfect fit. Amelia suggested that I try it on to show them, so the shop owner showed me to the small room she had turned into a deluxe dressing room. I set my purse on the plush brocade-covered bench and hung the dress on a hook. When I put it on and zipped up the discreet side-zipper, the image in the mirror was breathtaking. I had never felt so young, so vintage, so beautiful.
I stepped out of the dressing room, where Robert stood alone, waiting next to a huge mirror. He had a sort of strange look on his face, but I couldn’t interpret what it meant. So I simply stood there in front of Robert and the mirror, and let out a nervous laugh. He cleared his throat and seemed as though he was searching for words, when suddenly Amelia spotted me. “Oh, Kellie! You look stunning!” She cried.
Amelia helped me find a pair of shoes and a bag for the dress after I changed back into my normal clothes. As we held different clutches up next to the dress to see which complimented it best, Robert came over and said, “I’m so sorry, but I should be going. But you should buy that dress. I’ll see you soon…hopefully.” And he said goodbye to Amelia and then left. I was devastated that he made such a quick exit—I was really hoping we would be able to spend a little more time together, talking.
Suddenly, though, I found myself making one of the most spontaneous and brave decisions I had ever made. I pulled a notepad out of my Bottega Veneta and wrote my cell phone number down as quickly as possible. Then I handed Amelia the hanger holding my dress and ran out the door without saying another word. Robert was just about to climb into his car, a dark blue Mercedes-Benz with tinted windows, when I found him. “Robert, wait!” I shouted to grab his attention, and when he saw me, he got out and shut the car door.
“Kellie?” he said questioningly when he saw me. “Robert, I don’t want to leave things like this.” I answered, though I realized that it sounded more like we had been in a fight than spending a great afternoon together. I decided to cut this off quickly, and suddenly noticed there were paparazzi gathering nearby. “Take this, and call me some time if you want to do something.” I said, handing him the slip of paper. Before I knew it, Robert had engaged in a quick hug. “I’d love to.” He said, then smiled, said goodbye, and climbed back into his car.
I waited for Robert to pull out of the street-side parking space he was in and drive away before I returned to the boutique, realizing on my way in that the paparazzi had caught everything on camera, but I didn’t really care at the moment. I was speechless when I walked into the story, remembering how Robert had hugged me, how his arms wrapped around me, how he smelled amazing and masculine. Amelia was still standing in the same place she had been when I ran out, looking slightly stunned and very confused.
After explaining the whole situation (and receiving many excited squees from Amelia) we bought our things—I picked up the Roland Mouret dress as well as a beautiful engraved silver compact mirror from 1922—and went across the street for gelato before saying goodbye. It was 5 by time I got back to my apartment, so I brought in the bags of new merchandise I had and called and ordered takeout from a nearby Asian restaurant—orange chicken, Mongolian beef, and sushi was all I needed to be happy. Then I spent the night eating my takeout and lounging on the sofa watching my favorite movies.
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“Kellie, you’ll never believe what the tabloids think!” was the first familiar voice I heard on Monday. Emma had burst into my dressing room where I sat on the comfortable bed reading a book. I set the book down and smiled, ready to hear the latest crap the tabloids had put out. Emma and I always made fun of the tabloids for their undying obsession with celebrity life, always looking through them for the latest (and most likely untrue) news. Today Emma was holding the latest issue of our favorite lame tabloid, Flip, with a picture of Sienna holding hands with the same man she brought to Bonnie’s party. The headline says “What Would Jude Say?” and under that read, “Is he jealous of Sienna’s knew unknown (and unshaven!) Love?”
We all knew that Jude was probably not very jealous at all, as he was currently dating Jessica Simpson. I was about to crack a joke about it, but Emma’s finger gravitated to a smaller picture in the corner. I took the magazine from her hand and looked at it, and realized it was me and Robert hugging two days earlier. It read, “Harry Potter stars find love off set” I was shocked to see that, and even more shocked to when I realized that I was on the front cover of a tabloid, and I wasn’t even famous yet! Somehow, though, I didn’t like it.
“Is that really you? Is that really Robert? It has to be a fake. You guys hardly even met each other at Bonnie’s party!” Emma said, hardly giving me room to speak between each question. I flipped open the table of contents without saying anything and found the page the story was on. If Emma wasn’t sure before, she had to know now that it was real. The photos showed a bit of what had happened in chronological order. First it showed me and Robert holding hands—this had to have been when I was pulling Robert and Amelia into the store, though they had cleverly cut Amelia out of the picture. Then it showed us in the store alone (Amelia had wandered off to look at shoes) talking, then later me handing the paper to Robert, which looked as though we were holding hands again. Finally, we were hugging, which had only lasted about 2 seconds, but the picture made it look like a more intimate hug.
“Uh…well…it’s not what they say, really…” I began to explain. Before I could continue, though, the door flung open again and Bonnie, Katie, Andrea, and Tiana filed in. Katie was holding the tabloid as well, and Emma quickly explained that I was about to fill them in on what happened, so Tiana shut the door and we scooted over so everybody could sit on the bed. I explained that Amelia and I had been shopping, that we stopped at the vintage boutique, and that Robert met up with us randomly. I told them the whole story of the dress and the looks and the laughter, and finally of the hug and the phone number exchange. When I was finished, the girls were oddly silent, until finally Katie gave a little “Eep!” and nearly fell over sideways. Then everybody erupted into giggling, questioning, and all-out laughter. “Oh, Kellie! That’s awesome!” Ginny said, then asked if I liked Robert or not. “Oh, jeez is it that obvious?” I joked back.
For some reason, the next few days weren’t very good when it came to hanging out with Rupert. We had become great friends, but lately he always seemed to have an excuse whenever I suggested that we do something. I was beginning to worry about it, but I managed to forget it on Friday night. I hadn’t planned anything to do with anybody, so I stayed home. I was watching the Olympics, which were taking place in Torino, Italy, when my phone rang. I muted the TV and set my dinner on the coffee table before going to answer it.
--phone call—
Kellie: Hello?
Robert: Hello, Kellie.
K: Oh, Robert! Hi!
R: Um, so, how have you been?
K: oh, I’ve been pretty good, you?
R: Good. Everybody keeps pointing out those tabloid, though…it’s crazy what they can do with a good photo editing program…you know, cutting Amelia out of the picture and everything
K: Yeah. That sure was…interesting…
R: Yep. Not that it was bad, but…um…*clears throat* I was actually calling to ask if you’d like to go out to dinner tomorrow? I mean, I know it’s really short notice, but I just thought it would be nice.
K: Oh, yeah, I’d love to. What do you have in mind?
R: I know this really nice Thai place nearby that we can try. What do you say you give me your address and I’ll pi!
R: Um, so, how have you been?
K: oh, I’ve been pretty good, you?
R: Good. Everybody keeps pointing out those tabloid, though…it’s crazy what they can do with a good photo editing program…you know, cutting Amelia out of the picture and everything
K: Yeah. That sure was…interesting…
R: Yep. Not that it was bad, but…um…*clears throat* I was actually calling to ask if you’d like to go out to dinner tomorrow? I mean, I know it’s really short notice, but I just thought it would be nice.
K: Oh, yeah, I’d love to. What do you have in mind?
R: I know this really nice Thai place nearby that we can try. What do you say you give me your address and I’ll pick you up around 6?
K: Sounds great! (*gives address)
R: Oh, and did you buy that dress?
K: Of course!
R: Good, I was hoping you would. Well, I should be going…I’m watching the Olympics with a few friends, actually.
K: Oh, so am I! well, sans the friends.
R: Great! Well, I hope you enjoy them. I’m guessing you’re rooting for the American team, right?
K: Of course, haha
R: Well, I’ll see you tomorrow…I’m looking forward to it.
K: So am I. See you!
When I clicked the phone off, I sat in silence for a moment. I wanted to jump around or dance or sing really loud. But instead, I turned the volume back on, watched women’s figure skating, and ate my dinner. After all, I had to control my excitement sometime, and I’d have plenty of opportunity to obsess about everything on a conference call between the girls the next day.
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The next day there was snow on the ground outside my apartment. I went out on the balcony in my comfortable pajamas and slippers and picked up a bit of the snow that had settled there and made it into a snowball. I tossed it up in the air and watched it fall down to the street, splat! Right on top of a parked car. I giggled a bit, and then ran inside to figure out what I would wear on our date.
I considered wearing the Roland Mouret dress, but I figured that might be a bit too cheesy, and better suited for a later date, if we had one. I went through the process that was always shown in movies, but I never thought would really happen. I went through just about everything in my closet, trying it all on, and then declared that there was absolutely nothing to wear. I decided, though, that it was not a good idea to go out and buy another new outfit, so I forced myself to find something good to wear.
First I tried on a dark purple starched cotton dress with tulle trim and a swirly pink design, but I decided that it was a little too daytime-dress for an evening dinner date. Next came a pale yellow chiffon dress with tiny light orange flowers and black velvet ribbon trim. I loved it, and had never had a chance to wear it, but I figured it be more appropriate for the summer. I went through a gauzy white asymmetrical hem summer dress, a multi-colored v-neck wrap that would be perfect with black tights and boots but not for a date, and a Kelly-green pleated chiffon dress. I was scouring my closet in a pale pink tiered dress with a brown lace overlay when I finally found the perfect outfit.
I pulled off the dress I was wearing and slipped on the chocolate brown satin slip dress. It had tan lace trim on the shoulders, hem, and on bodice as well as velvet bows at each shoulder. Since it was snowing already and would likely get colder at night, I decided to wear over it a cream pea coat that ended just below the hem of the dress at my knees. I picked out a chunky Kenneth Jay Lane gold bangle my parents had given me for my 17th birthday and some gold criss-cross peep toe Jimmy Choos. Now that I had my entire outfit ready, I needed to prepare for the evening.
I decided it was the perfect time to go and get my hair done. I called my hair stylist, who was somewhat upscale but not too ritzy that I had to book my appointment months ahead of time. April was young, only two years out of beauty school, but she was amazing at what she did. We had become quite close, as I had my hair cut and eyebrows waxed once a month, and occasionally came in to have it styled. I knew it was short notice, but April understood, and told me she had a cancellation at three. I took the appointment and clicked the phone off.
It seemed slightly weird to me that I was spending so much time obsessing over out date. After all, I didn’t even know if Robert considered it a date. Still, though, I found myself spending much more time making sure I would look good than I ever had when I was dating Derek. It was noon by now, so I made some soup and dialed a few numbers to start the conference call between Katie, Bonnie, Emma, Tiana, and Andrea. After that, I figured I could make a few more calls. My phone had free long distance throughout the world, something we knew would be necessary since most of my friends and my entire family lived on an entirely different continent, in the United States. So I planned to call my parents just to say hi, as I called them about every weekend. Then I would call my closest friends at home, Nicole, Katie, Jenny, Savannah, and Karigan.
At three o’clock I was sitting in the chic waiting room in April’s salon, Il Salone di Aprile, reading a glossy new issue of Italian Vogue. April’s small and cozy salon was entirely Italian-inspired. There were beautiful professional photos of Milan, highlighting the amazing shopping district as well as the wineries and beautiful sights. April was Italian herself, and she adored her ancestral roots. She did not, however, adore hair-color roots.
April ushered me over to my favorite station and sat me down in front of the mirror. She already knew what to do with my hair, so she immediately began working away. Before I knew it, I had beautifully defined ringlet curls that rested just below my shoulders and a beautiful brown silk flower pin was clipping my bangs to the side. I admired my hair in the mirror, and April spritzed some hair spray in it. I thanked her with a hug and a double-cheek kiss before I paid and left.
The moment I got back to my apartment I knew I had to hurry. My hair was done, but that was about the only thing I had done so far. I rushed into the bathroom and shaved my legs, then I spent about a half-hour doing my makeup. By the time I was finished with that, it was already 5:30, so I had a half-hour to finish getting ready. I slipped on the dress, and the moment I put it on I no longer felt like I had to rush. It made me feel that I could go out in just that dress—no shoes, no coat, no jewelry—and I would look and feel beautiful, and nothing else would matter. What made me even happier was the thought that Robert had taken interest in me—I never thought I would ever have a chance with him. I soon realized that Robert would be arriving in 15 minutes, so I snapped out of my daze and rushed to finish getting ready. I rubbed some scented skin oil into my legs for shine, and then slipped on my shoes, letting my pale pink painted toenails peep out.
When the buzzer rang, I was sliding on the gold bracelet. I nearly fell off of the edge of the sofa, where I was balancing myself, because of the surprise. I jumped up from the couch and ran over to the speaker next to the door. “Who is it?” I spoke into it, and a few seconds later Robert’s voice returned the question. I squeed and hit the button to let him up. I quickly put on my coat and checked my reflection in the mirror, smoothing a tiny wrinkle out of the dress quickly. The doorbell rang, and when I answered it, my beautiful night began.
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“So,” Katie started with a giggle on Monday morning, “What happened?” We were sitting in a café near the studios drinking chai lattes and telling each other about our weekends. Katie insisted on hearing about the date with Robert. I smiled and sipped from my latte before starting. “Well, when he came to my apartment, he had a single rose for me, and he kissed my hand.” Katie emitted a little squeal, which attracted a few curious stares from the other customers in the café. “He took me out to this amazing restaurant, but it wasn’t awkwardly uptight like you’d expect. Everyone there was really nice, and Robert said some really nice things to me…the whole night was just wonderful. After dinner, instead of just driving off, he took my hand and we walked down the street. It was snowing and there were twinkling lights in the trees, it was beautiful.” Katie was smiling silently when I finished, and I could tell she was truly happy for me.
“Oh, I forgot to mention,” I added quickly, “that Robert asked me to go to the Goblet of Fire DVD Release Party as his date in two weeks!”
After Katie and I were done drinking our lattes, devouring blueberry muffins, and making plans to go shopping together for our release party outfits, we got in her car—Katie had give me a ride because my car was in the shop for the day—and headed back to the studios, our break was over and we had to return to the set. Katie informed me on all of the details of the release party on the way. “Well, it’s kind of unofficially themed. Emma, Bonnie, Clemence, Tiana and I all decided that we would wear cute party dresses. They’ve all already bought theirs, but I still need to get mine, so we should go together.”
The day went by quickly, and at 4 we were finished filming for the day. Katie and I pushed our way through the paparazzi and climbed into her car, and we drove to London. We stopped at Panda Express and got dinner first to quell our hunger, then we started shopping in Saks Fifth Avenue. Katie immediately spotted a dress by Maurizio Pecoraro which, she explained, was the dress Emma had bought—it was a tiered silk satin bubble dress in teal, and came with a beaded necklace. “That’s so gorgeous!” I exclaimed, excited to see how Emma would look in it. “What shoes is she wearing with it?”
“She’s borrowing the tan Pedro Garcia ones Tiana wore to Bonnie’s party—you know, the satin ones with raw edges.” Katie said as we walked through the dress floor, picking out dresses to try on. First I tried on a black wrap dress with pale pink flowers, but it was too simple for the theme we were going with. Then came a cream silk dress with tie-straps and a shirred skirt, but the shirring caused it to absolutely poof out at the bottom, so that I could hardly get through a doorway in it. When I was struggling to get out of my dressing room in the dress, Katie came out of hers in a raspberry pink silk satin slip dress, with pintuck pleats in the perfect places. It looked amazing on her, and she had a huge smile to match it.
“Oh my gosh, Katie, It’s amazing! You have to buy it…it’s the perfect dress for this party, absolutely!” I shrieked, and Katie, also psyched, jumped up and down giggling. “It’s Marc by Marc Jacobs—isn’t it perfect?!” She went back into her dressing room to change back into her pale blue cropped pants, darker blue pintucked tee shirt, and dark denim blazer while I went into mine to sulk. I simply couldn’t find anything that was my idea of the perfect party dress. Katie came in and offered to go pick some things out for me while I tried on the rest of the dresses, and I took up her offer simply because I was tired. By now, I was willing to take anything that fit and didn’t make my butt look big.
Katie brought in three dresses, and I realized right away that I absolutely loved her taste. The first dress was a green leaf-print Michael Kors halter dress with a skinny waist-cinching belt. The second was a cotton peach number with cream embroidery at the hems and fluted sleeves. The third was my favorite of the three, though—a cream cotton full-skirted dress with a teal chiffon ruched belt at the waist and teal rosebud embroidery all over. It reminded me of the essential party dress of the fifties, and when I tried it on it hugged my torso and accentuated my body with the full skirt.
Now that we had both chosen our dresses, Katie and I went upstairs to the shoe floor to pick out what we would wear on our feet. I found mine first, a pair of silver glitter Miu Miu pumps to complete the quirky party vibe. Katie found some gold braided Jimmy Choo heels. We left our dresses and shoes with a customer service lady and rode the escalators up to the accessories floor. Katie picked out a gold necklace with a huge gold diamond-shaped pendant and a black quilted leather Marc Jacobs clutch. I picked out a pearl necklace with a lace tie in the back and a silver leather Chloe Paddington clutch.
When we finally purchased all of our perfect—and expensive!—items for the party, Katie came back to my apartment and spent the night. We tried on our new dresses with the shoes, handbags, and jewelry that we had bought, and modeled the ensembles around my apartment. Suddenly in the joking dress-up mood, Katie and I raided my closet and made up more outfits—some incredibly quirky and some actually quite cute, and definitely something I would wear out in public—and modeled more. “Giselle Bundchen, eat your heart out!” Katie shouted as we danced around, Katie in a white-and-aqua zigzag chiffon halter she had loaned me, and myself in a black tulle skirt and an oversized red-and-blue-striped sweater.
We stayed up until two am taking pictures of each other as we did crazy things such as dress 80’s style, model, and put on bright, flamboyant makeup. When we finally did fall asleep, it was on the two couches in the living room watching Saturday Night Live reruns. We woke up the next morning tired and sore, but we had no choice but to rough it and go to the studios. Katie and I had decided to have a sleepover on our way home from Saks, so she hadn’t actually brought clothes to change into. While she took a shower, I picked out some clothes of mine for her to borrow, and then she picked out my outfit while I showered. I picked a Kate Moss-esque look for Katie with cuffed denim Bermuda shorts, a white t-shirt, and a black cropped short-sleeved blazer, and paired it with my black Marc Jacobs flats and a faded denim tote.
When I got out of the shower, I wrapped myself in my soft robe and went into my bedroom to find the outfit Katie had laid out for me. It was a red cap sleeved top with white polka dots, dark denim skinny jeans, and black leather kitten heels with a bow on the front of them. When I put on the ensemble, it felt like an outfit that had come straight out a sexy movie star’s closet in the 50’s. Katie suggested that I pull my hair back into a loose and sloppy bun, which I did, and I told her to wear hers down and wavy, just like Kate Moss would. When we were all ready, made up and dressed, I put on my brown oversized sunglasses, and Katie put on her black ones which were similar to mine. By now, my car was out of the shop and had been returned to my apartment, so I offered to drive Katie to make up for her having to drive me. We climbed into my car and drove to Leavesden.
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Two weeks passed quickly and it was finally the night of the release party. Robert would be at my apartment in an hour, and I was almost ready. I straightened my hair and pulled it back into a low sleek ponytail. I was already in my dress and my shoes were waiting by the door—I wouldn’t put them on until the last minute to prevent my feet from getting tired or aching. I got the clutch and put inside it my license, keys, lipgloss, and cell phone and closed it up. After I put on my pearl necklace, I went to the bathroom to check my makeup and hair one last time. Soon, Robert arrived and the first words he said were, “You’re beautiful.” I tried not to blush as he took my face in his hands and kissed me on the lips. And as he turned and walked with me down the hall and towards the lift, I couldn’t wipe the huge smile off of my face—that was our first kiss, and it couldn’t have been more perfect.
Robert helped me into the backseat of the car that would usher us to the party, then climbed in after and sat down next to me. We didn’t talk much on the way there, as the location wasn’t too far from my apartment, but it was still special, because Robert held my hand and smiled to my lovingly. Besides the tabloids, nobody except for my close girlfriends knew that I was actually going out with Robert now. I knew it would be a surprise for a lot of people at the party, and I just hoped it wouldn’t be so big that the rest of the party was amiss.
When we arrived at the venue the party was being held in, the paparazzi were waiting outside around the carpet that had been set up. Robert climbed out, looking handsome in a simple crisp white t-shirt and black slacks, and then he took my hand and helped me out. When we stood up, the cameras started flashing and the reporters and paps were calling out to us. “Just ignore what they’re saying, don’t ever answer the paparazzo’s questions. Just smile and look like your pretty self, the only people you have to talk to are the actual reporters.
Robert wasn’t afraid to hold my hand as we walked down the carpet, and the PR lady instructed me to talk to only three of the reporters because it was my first time on the red carpet, and wasn’t such a big event either. Robert and were together part of the time, and then we were separated to talk to the media. We were finally reunited when we made it inside the venue and were guided towards the press room. The PR representative now took Robert off and over towards the rest of the Goblet of Fire cast, and I was left to stand aside with the other guests for a few moments. I took that time to admire the dresses my friends had picked out. Emma wore the teal confection Katie had showed me at Saks, Clemence wore a gorgeous chiffon two-tone Marc Jacobs dress—the bodice was black and the skirt was light pink, separated at an empire waistline by a black velvet bow. She wore it over black leggings and with a crocheted bolero. Katie looked stunning in her hot pink slip dress, especially with her hair done up and her smoky eyes. Tiana wore a Greek-style Zac Posen dress with an embroidered waistline that showed off her long legs. Bonnie was wearing a gorgeous Catharine Malandrino dress, rose velvet with a deep V collar and ruching on the bodice. They all looked utterly perfect.
When the press was finished taking photos of the cast together, we were all allowed to finally go in to the party. I walked in with Robert, and found Katie, Emma, and Tiana all gathered around the chocolate fountain, dipping in fresh strawberries. Robert joined the guys and I went over to talk to the girls. I complimented them all on their gorgeous hair and dresses. We talked for a little bit, soon joined by Bonnie, Afshan, and Shefali. Clemence made her way over and talked for a bit, and soon I excused myself to go talk to Robert for a bit.
Robert was in a group talking to Dan, Rupert, Stanislav Ianevski, and Matthew Lewis. When I joined them, Dan and Matthew greeted me with a “Hey, how are you?” and “We’re glad you’re here!” but they almost seemed fake, or as though they were uncomfortable, which wasn’t the case on set. We were really all great friends, but they seemed strained here. I said “Hi!” to Stan, who I had met at Bonnie’s party, but I noticed that Rupert didn’t say a single word. As I was walking over he had been quite talkative, but since I had joined the group he was completely silent. I was a bit annoyed and slightly worried that I had done something to hurt him, but I brushed it off, convincing myself that he was probably just done with what he was saying and didn’t have anything to say at the moment. I talked with them for a while, then Robert excused us and we went off to get drinks.
It was an open bar and they didn’t check ID, but I’m definitely not a drinker. Instead, I ordered a virgin piña colada. Robert and I walked around for a bit talking together and occasionally stopping to talk to a friend or for Robert to introduce me to someone. The night went by quickly, and before I knew it the DVD had been released, I had met a ton of new people, and Robert and I were talking to our friends as the crowd kept shrinking and the fans and guests went home. We all decided to go to a club after the party, and instead of riding separately we all piled into the stretch limo that had transported Emma, Rupert, and Dan together. We played loud music and laughed and joked the whole way there, and enjoyed ourselves even though the limo was completely crowded.
We stayed at the club until two am, having a great time and dancing together. Then, all made it back to our own cars, with the slightly annoyed drivers (we apologized over and over for making them stay up, and really did feel badly) and said goodbye. Robert and I rode back to my flat, and, standing outside under the veranda in front of the doors, Robert pulled me into his arms and kissed me. It was a long, beautiful kiss. With that, he said goodbye and watched me leave as the doorman held open the door for me, then got back into the car and left.
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The next two months flowed by so quickly that it seemed way too soon when I was done filming. After I was finished filming my parts, I stayed for a week just so that I could rest and visit with my friends a little more before returning home for two months. Katie and Bonnie came over and helped me pack up my necessities—the clothes and shoes I would need (I already had some at home, and I wouldn’t be needing most of my nicer designer clothes, as I had nowhere to go in them) as well as my closest keepsakes. Robert took me out to a nice dinner the night before I flew home and treated me wonderfully; we wouldn’t be seeing each other as much as I would the rest of the cast members, because they would all be at the press conferences and premieres. The only time Robert and I would be together would be when I flew back for the press junket and had a bit of time off—of course, he would also be at the London premiere with me.
Katie, Bonnie, Emma, Tiana, and Andrea all came to my apartment the morning I was to fly out, to say their final goodbyes and see me off. We all shared hugs, tears, laughter, and more hugs, and finally the car arrived that would take me to the airport. The girls walked downstairs with me, we had a group hug, and I climbed in the car and was whisked away to the airport.
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My parents were waiting in the pick-up area of Sky Harbor airport fourteen hours later. They were all excited to see me, and I was greeted with hugs and kisses. On the drive home I told my parents everything that had happened since the last time I had talked to them on the phone, a week before. When we got home, my dad helped me bring my luggage inside and when we got into the kitchen, about 15 people popped up from behind the counter. It was all of my friends, and they had balloons and cards and rushed over to bombard me with hugs. I hadn’t seen them for 4 months, and I dropped my suitcases and hugged them all. I was so glad to be back, but I suddenly felt like I had two different lives—and the best friends ever in each one.
All of my friends spent the night—it must’ve been loud for my parents, because we stayed up until three—and I told them all about filming and London and the cast, and they caught me up on the happenings of the past few months in Phoenix.
The next day was Saturday, so Karigan, Nicole, and Savannah and I went shopping at the mall. I wore the green Juicy Couture sweatshirt that I had worn before Bonnie’s birthday party when I first met Robert, as well as some old comfortable jeans and my black pumas, with the Chanel Cambon tote I bought while shopping with Amelia. A lot of the people we encountered at the mall gave me looks as though they recognized me, but didn’t know where from. A few girls actually figured out who I was and asked for autographs or photos. At one point, while we were shopping in Gap, a girl walked up to me and said, “Kellie, you’re a wonderful actress!” I thanked her politely, but after she was gone we couldn’t help but laugh. “Nobody has even seen me act yet!” I said as we all giggled.
Robert called me on my cell phone, and Savannah, Karigan, and Nicole giggled as they gathered around me to try to listen in. I eventually pulled us into a dressing room and put it on speaker. “Robert, I’m with a few of my friends, they wanted to say hi!” I explained to him, and they all said hello. “We haven’t actually met you in person yet,” Karigan said, “But we basically approve.” Robert laughed nervously. “And our approval is necessary for the relationship!” Savannah joked. Robert and I talked (without the speaker, of course!) for a few minutes and he told me that he was missing me already. But soon, I had to go so that my friends didn’t feel left out or alone.
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Going back to school was the weirdest thing for me. I was a junior and it was near the time for the end-of-the-year events, such as prom, SATs, and final exams. I had been kept up to date on everything with the on-set tutor provided for me, so I was at the same place as everybody else in all of my classes. I had no problem transitioning class-wise, and all of my homework was turned in. But what was strange for me was the way people treated me. I was never what you would call ‘popular’ among people at my school—I knew a lot of people, but I wasn’t known by the majority of the school. However, suddenly everybody knew my name. I would walk down the hall between classes and here “Hey Kellie!” and “Good to have you back!” from a ton of people. It was awkward, but I enjoyed it. I knew who my friends were, though, and I appreciated their welcomes most.
Thinks weren’t awkward between me and Derek, which was a bit of a surprise for me. I expected that he would want to avoid me. But if anything, we were better friends now than ever, and he seemed to be okay with me and Robert. On my second week back, he pulled me aside at the beginning of lunch and pointed out a pretty girl standing in a group talking with her friends. She must have moved to the school while I was in England, because I had never seen her before. “Her name is Adrienne, and she just moved here two months ago from France,” Derek explained, “and we’ve been pretty good friends. I really want to ask her to prom…but I want to be sure that you’re okay with that.” I was astonished that he cared so much that he would ask my opinion, but also a little embarrassed that I hadn’t thought to do the same. However, I nodded in approval. I hadn’t met her yet—though I later did and liked her very much—but she was with her friends and they were all really nice girls that I liked. “Derek, of course!” I said, smiling, “You don’t need to ask for my approval…but I’m really flattered that you did, anyway.”
Three weeks after I returned, it was time for Prom. I wasn’t yet a senior, but it was custom for juniors to go, too. I obviously didn’t have a date because Robert couldn’t fly in for one day, but all of my friends and I planned to go together. We all had our dresses ready, and I had an appointment to get my hair and makeup done—my sister’s best friend was a hair dresser at a prestigious salon and she made sure there was a slot open for me on the day of prom. The dress I had picked out was a gorgeous knee-length Carolina Herrera number, tan cotton raffia with a light floral print and hot pink silk satin straps with a camisole underlay. I chose champagne-colored satin BCBGirls pumps and a hot pink faux-python Kate Spade evening bag to go with it, but no jewelry—this dress was beautiful enough on its own.
On prom night, I met Jenny, Nicole, Karigan, and Savannah at Mastro’s Steakhouse, where we had reservations for dinner. My hair was up in a gorgeous up-do, my dress was clean and pressed, and I was even stopped for a few autographs. We ate dinner and had a great time, then went to the dance. After a bit of dancing out on the floor, I pulled the four girls aside. “Guys,” I started, nearly shouting over the loud music, “I’ve got some great news!” They looked expectant and excited, and I began to explain the exciting news I had been holding back for the past three weeks. “I’ve got four extra tickets to the New York premiere. The only problem is, my parents are going, and so I’ve only got two extra tickets. I know you’re coming to LA along with Katie, but I want you to be at the New York premiere too! So…this is really difficult, so how should we decide who can go?” We contemplated, and it ended up that Nicole and Savannah would go, as Karigan had to work and Jenny was going to be at music camp.
Of course we had an absolute blast at prom. Derek had bucked up the courage and asked Adrienne to prom, and she seemed to be absolutely enamored. After the dance we were tired, yet exhilarated, and we asked the limo driver to take us to Denny’s for a midnight snack, where we stayed until two am talking, laughing, and having an amazing time.
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“Oh, Kellie, I’m going to miss you!” Katie said, giving me a squeezing hug. It was the last day in June and I was getting ready to be taken to the airport by my parents. A bunch of my friends once again spent the night at my house, as it was summer break. Now I was standing in the living room seeing them all off as one by one they packed their things in their cars and left. Katie was the first to go, as she had a long drive home, so I helped her bring her bags out and that was where we embraced and said goodbye. “I’ll see you in three weeks in Los Angeles! And then I’ll be home for two months, and we’ll do all kinds of fun things together!” I promised through the open car window just before she drove off.
Next to go were Jenny, Nicole, and Karigan, who all lived near each other and therefore carpooled. I would see Nicole and Savannah in 20 days, but Nicole and I still hugged like we’d never be together again. Savannah was the last to go, and she whipped her camera out and took a picture of us together before leaving. “I’ll see you in New York City! I can’t wait!” she called out before driving away. When she was gone, I sat down in the grass for a while, still in my pajamas. I finally had to get up when I looked at my watch and saw the time. I scrambled up and ran inside to get dressed and go.
My parents had to work that day, much to all of our disappointment, but they had woken me up earlier than my friends that morning to say goodbye one last time, until the New York premiere. I showered and put my hair up into a simple ponytail, then clipped my bangs back and teased them into a little pouf. I had received a call earlier from my agent, who had flown in the night before to escort me back, that there would be paparazzi in both the Phoenix and London airports, so I should dress somewhat presentably. I had set out a reddish-brown tweed blazer with big burgundy velvet buttons, a pair of dark-wash jeans, and ruby metallic point-toed flats before packing the rest of my clothes. I put the blazer on over a plain black v-neck tee, then packed my black leather Marc Jacobs carryall, which I had proudly found at Nordstrom Rack 50% off, with the things I would need on the plane. Everything else was packed away.
Twenty minutes later, a car arrived in front of my house. Molly, my agent, rang the doorbell and the chauffer helped me with my luggage. I wrote a quick note to my parents and left it on the table:
Mom and Dad,
Just wanted to say goodbye
And I love you very much!
I look so forward to being able
To share my first premiere in New
York with you. Until then, I
Love you. I’ll call you whenever
I get a chance!
-Love Kellie
I climbed into the car and Molly followed. On the way there, she went over my itinerary for the next week. “When you arrive in London tomorrow, Kellie, a car will be waiting for you to go back to your apartment. I know you’ll be really jet-lagged, so there aren’t any plans for you. However, on Monday morning Katie Leung and Bonnie Wright have scheduled a four-hour period with you in which they would like to go shopping for your premiere outfits, that’s from 9 am to 1 pm. At three pm you will be appearing on CBBC Newsround along with Ms. Leung and Ms. Wright. After that, Robert Pattison has requested your presence at dinner with him, and has noted that he will pick you up at your apartment at 7 pm. You have no scheduled events on Tuesday. On Wednesday you will be interviewed for a spread in Teen Vogue at Le Café Petite at 12 pm, and after that you will be photographed at the Ritz London Hotel for the spread. Thursday is the day of the press conference. You will be picked up at your apartment promptly at 8 am and brought to the studio where the conference is being held. There, you will have your hair and makeup done and change into your outfit—which I assume you’ve already purchased. There will be an hour-long period for photography at 11 am, and the conference will begin at 12 and end at 1:30. Between 2 and 4 pm you will conduct various private and group interviews. Friday you have no scheduled events.”
Molly explained everything quickly, without pausing at all. I didn’t get a chance to tell her that I actually hadn’t purchased my press conference outfit yet, but that was probably all for the better—I knew I could buy it Monday, and it was better to keep this to myself than stress Molly out even more. She was a really nice, helpful woman, but she was very business-like. She addressed my friends by “Ms.” Or “Mr.” only, and I could hardly get a good conversation out of her.
When we arrived at the airport, there was little activity outside. The moment I climbed out of the car, though, paparazzi seemed to swarm from every direction. I was slightly surprised, but then I realized what was happening and smiled as an airport security guard made way for me. There were even a few fans—somehow they had gotten word that I would be flying out that day—and they all snapped photos as well. I signed about four autographs, but had to apologize to the rest when Molly reminded me of the time. “Thanks for coming today, but I have to catch my flight!” I said before being ushered away.
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It was the same havoc at Heathrow airport, if not worse. When I walked off of the plane, there were no paparazzi, but the moment I got through the security gate, there were about two dozen paparazzi roped off to my left, and 50 plus fans roped off to the right. “Just smile, wave, and walk on by.” Molly instructed. I really wanted to sign some autographs or talk to some fans, because I had never had so many people cheering for me, especially at 6 in the morning. But I reluctantly obeyed and waved my way along—more to the fans than the paparazzi—until we were outside. “There’s your car. I’ll see you tomorrow at one pm, when I pick you up from the mall.” With that, Molly climbed into the other car chauffeured car and drove off. The driver of my car came over and loaded my luggage into the trunk, then opened the door for me and waited until I was seated, then closed it.
The moment I got home, and the doorman had already left after bringing my luggage on the luggage cart, I pulled off my blazer, kicked the shoes off and let them slide across the kitchen floor, then made a B-line for my bedroom and climbed into bed. I would’ve slept for twelve straight hours, but that meant my sleep schedule would be completely screwed up. Instead I slept for five hours so that I woke up at ten. I showered quickly and got dressed in jeans, a blue vintage tee-shirt that said “Ft. Worth Stockyards” with an Armadillo on it layered over two long tank tops, and my blue velvet flats. I hardly put any makeup on, feeling way too tired to care, and I grabbed my bag, put on my oversized sunglasses, dabbed on a little bit of lipgloss and went to church. I was surprised to see paparazzi waiting outside my apartment, but then again Emma had warned me that paparazzi activity increased a lot as the premieres and press junkets got closer. Needless to say, we found ourselves in the celebrity tabloids a lot in the next few weeks.
When I got home from church, I was slightly more awake—on the way home, I had stopped at a gas station and bought two Starbucks Double Shots to wake me up—so I called Robert to see what he was up to. We decided to meet at a café by his house for lunch. When I got there, he had a huge smile on his face and hugged me longer than ever. “I missed you so much.” He said before leaning in to kiss me. We ate outside, much to the paparazzo’s delight. Afterwards we went to see a movie, but we picked a random movie just because it was the only one starting soon, but it turned out to be a war movie, and not the type that keeps you on the edge of your seat, but the type that bores you to death. I fell asleep with my head on Robert’s shoulder about thirty minutes in, and he finally woke me when the movie was over. “I figured you needed that sleep.” He explained with a laugh as we were leaving.
That night in order to stay awake despite my unending tiredness, I met Katie at a club, we got there at 7, and danced for two hours, but after that I couldn’t handle it anymore. I said goodbye to Katie, who had busied herself talking to some girls our age, and drove straight home and went to sleep. I woke up the next day at seven a.m., finally back into my regular London sleep pattern. I dressed in a pale yellow polo shirt, a white chiffon miniskirt with yellow and hot pink flower bunches all over it, paired with the perfect sandals—two-inch heels with three straps: one pink, one yellow, and one white. I put my stuff in a white canvas tote and stopped by Starbucks for a chai latte and a blueberry muffin, then met Katie and Bonnie at the mall.
We used the four hours I was allotted (“I hate having a schedule!”) to our full advantage. I would be going to six (yes, six!) premieres: London, New York, LA, Japan, France, and Australia, so I needed six premiere outfits as well as three outfits for the press conferences in London, New York, and Japan. I bought a gorgeous nude Collette Dinnigan dress with a pale beaded mesh overlay as well as a pale blue Paul and Joe box coat to wear over it, since pale and nude was slowly making its way onto the fashion palette. I also bought the most beautiful Temperley dress ever—a floor-length white one with a black lace overlay and lace flutter sleeves--that made my body look absolutely perfect. I loved Temperley, a London-based designer, and I loved the dress. My favorite purchase by far was the strapless black tulle Ralph Lauren dress. It had silver sparkles and ended just below my knee, and the a-line skirt accentuated my figure perfectly. After that, I realized I still needed an outfit for the Press Conference on Thursday, so I decided to look for that, as I would have a lot more time for premieres than for the press conference.
I went to the BCBG store and found everything I needed right away. I bought a floaty cream chiffon tunic blouse, black Bermuda shorts that ended just above my knees, a gold belt with red stones set into it, two long gold layering necklaces with red stones, and faux snakeskin t-strap flat sandals. The outfit was perfect—not too dressy, not too casual, and very trendy. By the time we were finished, we got salads for lunch, and then went outside, where a limo was waiting for us in the valet section. We each climbed in as the driver put our many shopping bags in the trunk, and Molly was inside waiting for us. She had on a plain boxy black suit and nylons, and in her lap were three garment bags. “Hello, ladies. I assume you found all that you needed while shopping?” she asked, and we nodded in reply. “We’ll be arriving shortly at the BBC studios. You’ll be escorted in through the back entrance, but by no means does that mean there won’t be paparazzi or fans. You are each allowed to sign 5 autographs, but no speaking with reporters. There will be more time for that after the show. You’ll be ushered inside where you will each change into your outfits,” with that she lifted up the garment bags, and I noticed that each one had a name written on a piece of paper that was attached to it, “and your hair and makeup will be done. The show will begin at 3pm. You will be interviewed at 3:30, and will be done at 3:45. From there, you will be escorted once more outside, where you will have time to interact with the fans and reporters. From there, you will each be dropped off at your homes for the rest of the evening.”
The entire talk was long and boring, but Molly was trying her best, and so we all nodded fervently so that she would know we really were paying attention. We were now pulling up at the BBC studios, and the driver drove around to the back entrance. There were a ton of people behind a metal barrier, some with signs, a lot with cameras, and most of them screaming as our limo pulled up. On the other side of the walkway were a bunch of paparazzi behind another barrier, ready to start snapping pictures the moment the limo door opened. The driver got out and rushed around to our side, where he opened the door. He took the garment bags from Molly, and then took her hand to help her out. After handing Molly the bags again, he reached in and helped Katie, Bonnie, and then me. The fans screamed and the cameras flashed, and I realized that this was the tiniest fraction of what the premieres would be like. I signed autographs for 5 fans and took pictures with them, and then the doorman let us inside.
“So, Molly, who picked out our outfits?” I asked, trying to sound simply curious, and hide the fear that she had, and we would be on national TV in three outfits just like hers. “The stylist team we’ve hired has—they’ll be picking out all of your outfits for TV appearances.” She explained, and I had to hold back a sigh of relief. By now we had made it up to the hair and makeup department of the studios, and Molly hung our garment bags on the clothes rack and left.
“Hello, ladies, it’s lovely to meet you!” a striking girl in her mid-twenties said happily, coming over and shaking all of our hands. “I’m Anne Livingston, and I’m the CBBC director. I understand you already have outfits selected?” We nodded, and Katie showed her the three garment bags on the rack. “Lovely! Okay, I’ll give you these and you can go into the guest dressing room and change into them, and then we’ll get you started on hair and makeup.” Anne handed each of us our garment bags, and led us to the guest dressing room.
When we got inside and closed the door, Bonnie said, “Man, I hope those stylists picked out something good!” as we unzipped the bags. Inside mine was a black wrap top with off-white polka dots, tan Bermuda shorts, and a pair of black leather cork-wedge sandals. It was all from DKNY. “Wow, this is cute!” I said, holding up the top in the mirror. Katie had pulled her outfit out, a sheer yellow chiffon blouse over a yellow cami and black Bermudas, and her shoes were chunky stacked-heel ones with thick leather studded straps. Bonnie had already changed into her top, a crisp black collared button-down. She also had a yellow cardigan, a black knee-length skirt, and tan open-toe flats. “You know, our outfits all kind of match in one way or another.” She suggested. We agreed, and Katie added, “They’re all from DKNY! They must be a sponsor or something.”
We changed into our clothes and checked our appearances in the mirror, and then went back to the hair and makeup department, where Anne was waiting for us. She set us all up in front of a mirror, and three hair dressers came over to work on our hair. While they were setting up, Anne handed us each a packet of papers. “This is the transcript of the questions you’ll be asked, so you can start thinking of how to answer them now. If there are any problems with them, you let me know and I’ll notify someone upstairs.”
I looked at my packet as the man doing my hair turned on the blow-dryer. All of the questions directed at me were highlighted in pink, and the ones directed to the whole group were yellow. They were simple questions, most of the ones directed at me were beginner questions like, “What was it like being in front of a camera for the first time?” and “How long have you known that you wanted to be an actress?” while Katie and Bonnie had more character-based questions, as everybody already knew their characters from previous movies.
An hour and a half later we were all made up, with my hair in a sleek ponytail, Katie’s coiled around in a loose bun, and Bonnie’s loose in long, wavy curls. Our makeup looked flawless but real, and our fingers and toes painted in pale pink nail polish. We were sent to a sitting room, where a young guy reading the Sun. He too was probably waiting to be called out, and he was dressed in a crisp pale blue shirt and black slacks. When we sat down, he glanced up and obviously recognized us, so he folded his paper up and began to talk to us.
“Are you ladies here for CBBC as well?” he asked with a smile, looking specifically at Bonnie. I noticed that he looked about her age, and that Bonnie seemed to be blushing slightly. “Yes, we are.” Bonnie said, flashing a vixen smile. “What are you on for?” He explained that he was actually just waiting for his brother, who was the actor William Moseley. “You’re here for Harry Potter, right?” he asked and Bonnie introduced us all. “I’m James, by the way, James Moseley.” Soon, William came in and his brother looked disappointed to have to leave. “Er…I’ll meet you downstairs, okay Will?” he asked after we had all introduced ourselves. When William said goodbye and left, James turned back to us. “Erm…Bonnie, if you don’t mind, I was wondering if I could have your phone number. I’d love to see you again…” he sounded shy and nervous, but no worry—Bonnie was happy to give him her number, and after he left she nearly screamed. “He’s so cute! And so nice!” she giggled.
“So I take it things are off with Devon?” Katie suggested, and Bonnie’s face turned sour. “He has no clue that I liked him, I swear. No matter how shamelessly I flirted, he thought I was just being friendly. I gave up on Devon months ago.” Then she proceeded to giggle over James. Anne Livingston soon came into the sitting room. “Ladies, you’re on in five minutes. If you’ll come with me, I’ll show you to the set.” We followed her out of the sitting room and into an elevator, where we went up two floors. From there, she led us to a backstage area where we followed her down a hallway crowded with clothing racks, TVs showing the set, and pictures of past guests on the walls. At the end of the hallway was the CBBC set, all colorful with a big black leather couch next to a desk. We sat down, and a slight nervousness began to set in.
“Hello, Ladies!” a 20-something guy with an uncanny likeness to Ryan Seacrest said as he walked out onto the set. “I’m John Stein, and I’m the host of CBBC Newsround! It’s great to have you ladies here. I might say, you’re all looking beautiful this afternoon.” He shook each of our hands and then sat down behind the desk. A woman came over and dusted a little powder on his nose and straightened the collar of his perfectly starched white button-down collar. The camera people had taken their places and the director came over and had a few words with us, then backed off and shouted, “Action!”
“Hey Kids, It’s John Stein again and we’re here with three lovely ladies from Harry Potter! That’s right, joining us again are Bonnie Wright and Katie Leung, and a very special new guest, Kellie Holt!” his voice was loud and cheery, but it was fitting, as he was broadcasting to children all over England. “So we’re going to ask them a few questions that you all sent in, and get to know a little more about them and their characters! So, we’ll start out with Bonnie. Bonnie, you play Ginny Weasley, sister to one of the main characters, Ron Weasley. We all know that Ginny’s had a crush on Harry, Ron’s best friend—is that still the case, and if so, does she use her brother to get closer to Harry?” Bonnie give a momentary pause, though she had already probably thought up her whole answer, as we had with all of the questions. After a second’s silence, she began to explain that, though Ginny was around Harry more than ever in this movie, she had actually moved on from that crush, giving up after years of pursuing him.
The interview was a lot shorter than I had imagined, or at least it seemed that way. Soon we were gathering our things with Molly and being escorted back outside. The same amount of fans, if not more, was still gathered outside, and this time it was with an excited cheer that they greeted us. I loved interacting with the fans, because they were all so fun and dedicated and kind, and I took as many pictures and signed autographs as possible, before Molly finally called us back into the limo. We thanked everyone and, after climbing into the car, we rolled down the windows and blew thank you kisses, laughing the whole time.
The driver first stopped in front of Katie’s apartment building, where she hugged me and Bonnie and thanked Molly before climbing out and getting her bags from the trunk. We arrived at my apartment next, and I said goodbye to Bonnie and Molly, got my shopping bags, and went up to my apartment. I had a date with Robert in an hour and a half, but luckily my hair and makeup were already done perfectly, thanks to the interview. So I walked into my closet and turned on the light, and began looking for what to wear. Robert had told me at lunch the day before that we were just going out for pizza, so I picked a cream knit polo layered over tan and brown tank tops, with a cream box-pleated skirt with tan and brown swirly hearts on it. I wore with it a pair of bronze, gold, and silver metallic woven leather flats, which I bought at Target—shh!—for only $20!
Robert was there a few minutes after 6, and though it wasn’t a big deal at all to me, he apologized over and over for being late, and had a cute flustered look on his face. I finally convinced him that I wasn’t at all annoyed, and he accepted it. We got in his car and drove to the pizza place, where we spent about two hours eating pizza and laughing—a lot. When we had finally finished the pizza—it took us a while, as we were spending more time talking than eating—Robert drove me home. It was 8, but I had made plans to get up and go shopping early in the morning with Emma and Bonnie to beat the crowds, and I knew it would be a pretty long day. On the way home, Robert told me that he couldn’t wait for the premiere, because he knew I would look beautiful and it would be even more time for us to spend together. The premiere was a week away, the following Monday.
I woke up at five the next morning and, having taken a shower the night before, pulled my curly hair back into a ponytail. I had to be to Bonnie’s house at 6, so I quickly dressed in a black t-shirt with “Love Karl” printed on it in white, from the new Karl Lagerfeld collection, distressed denim cropped capris, and black canvas flats. I grabbed the new clothes I had bought for the premieres out of my closet and threw them into two big carrier bags, put on a bit of blush and lipgloss, grabbed my purse, and ran out the door.
I arrived at Bonnie’s family home north of London 5 minutes before 6. Emma was already there, and when Bonnie’s mother opened the door, she led me in through the main room and into the kitchen, where the two girls were slouching at the counter, looking very tired while sipping lattes and eating muffins. Emma had still managed to dress nicely, in a cream Missoni cami with a Bird of Paradise print, a cream bubble skirt, and gold strappy cork wedges. Bonnie still hadn’t dressed, so she was still in the t-shirt and Mickey Mouse boxers she’d worn to bed. Emma also had three carrier bags by her side, and when I came in Bonnie pulled up a stool for me and served a chocolate muffin and chai latte. We talked and yawned and shared recent events for a while—including Bonnie’s first date with James Moseley, who she said “is definitely the right guy for me,” And finally climbed the stairs to Bonnie’s bedroom.
When we were inside, Bonnie grabbed a pile of clothes on her bed and went to the connected bathroom to change. While she was in there, Emma and I poured out the contents of our bags and began laying them out on Bonnie’s bed. She came out in a cute grey Marc Jacobs tank with Miss Marc on it, a faded and worn-in denim mini skirt, and black velvet point-toe flats. We all had our new purchases out now, and we began showing each other. I showed them my three dresses and coat, which they loved, and they helped give suggestions on what shoes, handbag, and jewelry to pair with it. Next Emma, who would be going to four of the premieres, not attending France and Australia, began by holding up a gorgeous pink dress. It was floor length empire waist chiffon with a light snakeskin print on it. Next she pulled out an orange silk-cotton tank with a white tie-band waist and a colorful silk printed skirt in teal, orange, blue, and cream. It was mid-calf length and the most gorgeous and colorful skirt I’d ever seen. Finally, she pulled up a beautiful navy blue silk Chanel couture dress, with gorgeous bronze beaded straps and a brooch at the waist
“Oh my gosh, that’s amazing!” I cried, and Bonnie added, “yeah, it’s gorgeous! I wish I could buy such expensive clothes and not feel guilty!” I was silently agreeing when Emma noted, “Well I didn’t pay $5000 for this—I love it, but I’ll only wear it once and then I’m taking it back!” when we asked her to explain, she did so. “My agent called the publicists for the really big designers—Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Versace, and basically any other designer I want—and sets up appointments for me to go in, so if I find something I really like I can take it out as a loner, and the day after the premiere I return it—you have to pay a little, but my agent handles that so it’s basically a free premiere outfit.”
We were amazed when Emma told us this, and quickly made a conference call to Molly—she was also Emma’s agent—to ask if she would do the same for us. “Of course!” Molly explained, “I already have an agreement with the major designer shops in the area for that situation, I’ll just call them and make some appointments. Do you want them today?” and when we said yes, of course, she hung up and promised to call soon. When she did, she explained that she had set up appointments at the main stores of Dolce and Gabbana, Dior, Temperley, Badgley Mischka, Monique Lhullier, Gucci, and Vera Wang, as we had asked her. She said that if we needed any other appointments, to call her and she’d make sure we were fitted in. Each appointment was an hour apart, but all in the same relative area. So after Bonnie showed her outfits—a taupe silk flowy dress with embroidered, sequined cap sleeves, a romantic cream silk embroidered dress from Jill Stuart, and an ivory chiffon empire-waist dress with a black beaded floral design and raw satin Kate Spade stilettos to match, and she only needed one more as she was also going to four premieres, and skipping Australia and Japan—we grabbed our purses and left.
I drove us back to London, as the legal driving age in England is 17 and they were both 16. We got to Alberta Ferretti at 7:50, and our appointment was at 8. But they got us right in, as we were the first appointment of the day. So we spent the next fifteen minutes gathering all of the gorgeous dresses, skirts, shoes, and bags we could get our hands on, and then brought them all into the fitting rooms and tried them on one by one. Emma picked out a gorgeous sage green chiffon dress that was fitted under the bust and then flowed out, which she bought for the London press conference.
When we had filled out the paperwork with Dior, we went on to Dolce and Gabbana, where our next appointment was scheduled. We spent a half hour in the store, and I came out with a gorgeous red lace dress with an asymmetrical hem and a ribbon sash belt with a red rose on it. I knew exactly what I wanted to wear with it: simple silver drop earrings, sexy evening shoes, and a great tan. When we were finished there, we went to a boutique next door called Verrier, where Andrea met up with us—she had a doctor appointment in the morning, so she met us straight after. There, she found a gorgeous, very pale gray-blue satin dress with white linear beading in a huge H-design taking up the whole front of the dress. It was simple and sexy, just what Andrea was looking for.
We went to Temperley next, where Bonnie picked out the final outfit she would need for the premieres—a coral pink strapless piece with white embroidery and random beading. Andrea pointed out a dress Katie had bought for the London press conference the week before, a white silk off-shoulder dress with watercolor-style flowers and a drawstring waist. Afterwards we had an appointment at Badgley Mischka. I picked out a pretty little ensemble for a press conference—a pale blue cable-knit sweater, a grey-blue tulle skirt with beaded clusters, and a matching metallic woven leather belt. I also picked some pearl satin point-toed flats to wear with the classy ensemble. Between meetings we stopped in a few nearby stores and I managed to put together the final ensemble I would need for press conferences—a cream knee-length skirt with gorgeous pink roses and green stems and leafs printed on it, a cream camisole and blazer, a brown leather belt with round, flat studs, wooden platform shoes with brown leather butterflies on the toe, and two bangles—one thick and wooden, one thin and gold. I had made the outfit up of pieces from Alessandro dell’Aqua, Anna Sui, Marc by Marc Jacobs, and Moschino Cheap & Chic. Now that I had all of the outfits needed for the three press conferences, I could focus on the last two premiere outfits I needed, as well as all of the accessories to go with them.
By six pm I hadn’t found the two outfits I needed. I had, however, purchased some accessories. For the nude Collette Dinnigan dress I bought a pair of satin blue ballet flats with gold embroidery from Valentino, black satin evening heels from Hollywould with a bow on the ankle strap with a heart charm hanging from it as well as a gold sequined fish-scale design clutch from Oscar de la Renta for the black tulle Ralph Lauren dress. I picked out a pair of black patent leather strappy heels for the Temperley gown as well. Bonnie had all four of the dresses she would need now, and so did Emma—she had finished off her collection with a floaty, colorful floral dress from Christian Lacroix. So they said their goodbyes, now that the appointments were all over and we had all had long days. Andrea and I still had a bit more shopping to do—I at least wanted to get one more dress, I could find the last and all of the accessories I would need another day—and Andrea needed one more dress, as she could only make it to the London and Paris premieres.
Andrea picked out a pretty little dress from D&G, with a grass-green bustier and blue ruffled skirt with a bright abstract flower-and-leaf print. She also picked a blue, cream, and black floral print halter dress for the London press conference, and an oversize cream Miu Miu cardigan to make it a bit more casual. Finally I picked out the perfect little black dress—a vintage-style black chiffon dress with a sweetheart neckline and a skinny tan leather belt cinching the waist. The dress came down to my mid-calves and was by Jenni Kayne, an LA-turned-New York designer who had a small boutique in London. Finally satisfied, Andrea and I decided to call it a night. On our way out to my car, however, we passed the Manolo Blahnik boutique and found the perfect shoes for my newest dress—black velvet round-toed pumps. After I made my final purchase, we bought smoothies and I dropped Andrea off at her house before going home to fall into bed and straight to sleep.
The next day I woke up at 7 am, from having fallen asleep early the night before. I made some tea and put it in a travel coffee mug. Even though I had spent the last day shopping non-stop, I was on a mission. I had to be at the café a few miles away at 11:50, so I had a few hours to do some shopping. I planned on finding as many accessories for my outfits as possible today. My first stop was at the Gucci boutique. The woman that had helped us the day before was very kind and helpful, and even though I hadn’t found a dress there, she offered that I could stop in any time and see her if I changed my mind or needed accessories, and the deal was still open. So, with the lace red Dolce and Gabbana dress in mind, I found her and asked to take a pair of the amazing black suede platform pumps from the Spring/Summer collection on loan. She said yes, of course I could, and while she went to get the paperwork, she offered for me to look around at the other accessories. While doing so, I found a dark green velvet clutch, which I thought would go nicely with the Temperley dress and set it off well. I also picked a brown lizard gold-frame chain handle bag with a blue and yellow jeweled flower charm to go with my Collette Dinnigan dress. I now had a pair of shoes for every outfit, and a bag for every outfit but the Dolce and Gabbana and Jenni Kayne dresses.
Next I went to Neiman Marcus. There I bought a pair of silver chandelier earrings to go with my Ralph Lauren dress, silver drop earrings for my Dolce and Gabbana dress, and a silver necklace with a circle diamond-encrusted pendant for my Temperley dress. I also bought a silver necklace with a diamond and pink tourmaline chandelier pendant to wear with my new Kayne dress and a silver-and-gold bangle for my Collette Dinnigan. I then went to the handbag section and picked out a vintage-frame raffia clutch with cream wooden beads all over to go with my Jenni Kayne dress. In the end, after looking for a bag for my Dolce and Gabbana dress and having no success, I decided to go without a handbag for that outfit—after all, it was amazing enough on its own. I paid for my new things and left—I was so excited, I had spent only an hour and a half shopping and found everything I needed! Now I only had to find one last dress and the accessories for it, and I was done. However, that could come another day. I needed to get home to do my hair and makeup and change before the interview.
I changed into a white ribbed tank top and a light pink seersucker jacket with heart-shaped pockets, and put on light jeans and cream jeweled ballet flats. I kept my hair down in soft waves and fastened a silver necklace with ballet slippers around my neck, one I had had for many years. I quickly swiped on a bit of blush and lipgloss, and then transferred my necessities from the tan leather tote I had been carrying into a chocolate brown suede hobo with gold floral embroidery on it. I grabbed my keys and the directions to the café I was to meet the interviewer at, checked the clock (11:30) and left.
Anne Kimball was a pretty girl in her mid-twenties with straight red hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a teal dress with white polka dots, silver glittery Marc Jacobs flats, and a welcoming smile. Anne was sitting at a small table in the corner of the French café we met at, and she had a notepad with scribbled-down questions in front of her and a tape recorder in her hand. When I sat down, she explained that readers had recently sent in a bunch of questions for me, which had been filtered down into 20. After the interview, she would give me the list, which I’d have a week to answer and return to the London office for Teen Vogue. Then, she began to interview me with her own questions. It went fairly quickly, and she soon gave me a double-air-kiss goodbye and showed me to the car waiting outside to take me to the site for the photo shoot.
I climbed into the car and sat down as the chauffer pulled into the street and drove off. I used the 10-minute drive as an opportunity to read the questions given. There were simple ones such as “How has your life changed since you were cast?” and more personal ones, including one asking whether or not Robert and I were dating. I began to think of the answers to those questions when the car stopped and the driver opened my door.
We were in front of the Ritz London Hotel and an older woman in a black belted trench coat and patent black heels stood by the entrance. She came over and shook my hand, introducing herself as Karen Schilling, the photo shoot director, and then led me inside and into the elevator. We went up twenty floors and into a suite, which had been turned into the set for a photo shoot. Next door was the luxury suite, where the shoot itself would take place. I was immediately shown to a chair in front of the vanity mirror, and a man and women came over without speaking and began doing my hair and makeup. Thirty minutes later, my hair was in a messy-but-elegant bun and my makeup was flawless. Next, the wardrobe coordinator came over and, being a little more talkative, began explaining the outfits she had picked out for the photo shoot.
The first outfit was a lilac tulle strapless dress by Vera Wang paired with white leather peep-toe Prada wedges. I zipped into the dress and slipped the shoes on, and was led into the suite where Karen Schilling once again awaited me. “Alright, Kellie, there will be three pictures in the magazine with your spread, but we’ll be taking a lot of photos in order to ensure that we get just the right ones.” She led me out to the balcony, where there was nothing but an antique iron chair. The photographer came over and told me to act natural, pose like a model, and he began snapping photos. I was a bit uncomfortable at first, trying to figure out what position would look best, but he offered tips. I leaned over on the railing of the balcony as though I was looking out at the city, and he suggested just how I should lean my head, fold my arms, and bend my knee. I then turned my back to the city and leaned my back against the railing, which the photographer liked once again. Just as I was wondering how I could position myself in the chair to look best, he pulled the camera away from his eyes and said he was done. “Those were perfect,” he complimented me, “we don’t need any more out here.”
I was once again ushered to the other room, where I was given a different outfit. It included a denim miniskirt with an embroidered pink flower and white skull, a rose pink satin cami with lace trim, white leather slouchy boots, and a cute cowboy hat. Now I was directed to the big bed with white covers and blue and pink satin pillows. I sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over with my elbow resting above my knee and my face in my hand. After many positions there, I was directed back to the dressing room. My final outfit was by far my favorite—a pink Burberry trench, sheer black tights, black rubber rain boots with little pink dogs, and a pink nova check umbrella. For this, we went to the back of the hotel, where a path was set up. Though it wasn’t raining, the photographer told me to act as though it was, and realistic-looking rain would be edited in later.
When the photo shoot was over, the most surprising thing happened—the wardrobe coordinator, Jenna, handed me three Burberry carrier bags. “You can keep the wardrobe—we always give it away anyways, and I can tell you loved these clothes.” I was so surprised; I remained speechless for a moment, and then thanked her dearly. I was ushered back outside, where the limo driver took me back to the café and to my car. I drove home, excited about my new clothes. I spent the rest of the night getting everything ready for the press conference, as I wouldn’t have much time in the morning. I decided I would wear the Badgley Mischka outfit—the tulle skirt, sweater, and belt—as the London press conferences were always very closely watched and everyone dressed the nicest for those. I picked out a pearly-white ribbon headband to have April put in my hair, and then climbed into bed early and fell asleep.
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I was standing next to the doorway, peeking out whenever it opened as crewmembers walked in an out. Outside was a big fountain in front of which was a bunch of tape X’s in different colors. I had been instructed that I was to follow the pink tape. As I looked out, I noted that I would be standing right in between Rupert and Andrea. About 10 feet away from the tape marks were the photographers and reporters, all ready behind the roped-off area. “Five minutes to show time!” a voice announced from somewhere behind me, and I snapped out of the trance I had been in and turned around. Rupert and Dan were dressed and ready, Katie’s hair dresser was running a straightener over her bangs one last time as she tied the waist of her floral dress, and Emma was layering long gold Chanel necklaces over her sage dress. Suddenly Bonnie came over and sat down on a couch, inviting me with her. “It’s so hectic!” she said, taking a breather and rubbing her feet, already sore from the 4-inch Manolos she was wearing, “this is the first press conference I’ve done for Harry Potter, because before this movie Ginny was never a main character.” She had on a gorgeous red jersey bat-wing top with satin lining and dark indigo skinny jeans with the tan Manolo Blahnik sandals, and her red hair was in flowing waves. “This is perfect,” she explained, “because after all of the interviews, James and I are going to see a movie—and I don’t even need to change!” we laughed at that, and then the same voice announced something else—this time, I noticed that it was from an intercom—“All cast members please make yourselves ready, it’s show time!” We all stood up and gathered into a group by the door. The movie’s theme music began playing and the producers and David Yates gathered by the X’s. They spoke for a moment, and then began to introduce themselves.
Rupert made his way through the group over to me. “Hey Rupert,” I said cheerily, trying to hide the nervousness in my voice, “You look great! Are you ready?” Rupert nodded and said, “You look nice too. Erm, so, just for a more thorough explanation, since they probably didn’t tell you much—they’re going to call out the names of the cast members one by one—Me, Emma, and Dan will probably be first, and then I don’t know the order. You have to just go out there, stand on the black X for your own photos, and then go to the other Xs and stand on your color until the whole cast is there. Then they’ll take a bunch of photos and stuff, and it really doesn’t matter if you talk or not—usually we all just talk a bunch and they don’t care. Then we’ll all file off together into the hall for the conference.” I thanked Rupert, and soon his name was called, right after Dan, and he smiled and went out. Soon, Katie, Bonnie, and Emma were gone as well, and it was just me and Andrea. I was about to mention how stuffy the room was when my name was called. My legs seemed to turn to jelly. I forced myself to walk out the door, and found the black X without a problem. I stood there for a moment, smiling and trying to look natural, as the photographers snapped photos, and then found my pink X next to Rupert. Andrea did the same as me, and when she took her place next to me, everybody started talking.
It’s amazing how much we talked in that space of about 10 minutes. Everybody explained to each other the outfits they’d be wearing to the London premiere on Monday—the girls were elaborate (“It’s a sparkly gold Lanvin dress with a halter neck and a black satin sash” from Katie) while the boys were vague (“Um, some blue pants, a t-shirt, and a blue blazer” from Rupert.) They asked how my first magazine interview and photo shoot went, and we all made plans to go to lunch and a movie together the next day, as we were all free. Finally, we were called inside and went one-by-one into the hall. There were a ton of photographers, reporters, and news cameras as well as magazine and newspaper journalists with tape recorders and notepads.
The press conference wasn’t the epitome of boredom, but at the same time it was nothing exciting. We were asked the same questions as usual and were challenged to give a variation in answers so as to not sound like a bunch of broken records. When the conference was over, we shuffled back into the stuffy room where we waited around talking, listening to music, and going through magazines. I spent the next two hours giving about 5 interviews, some on camera and some for magazines and newspapers. When it was finally over, I didn’t even take the time to change at the set. Instead, I grabbed the garment bag, which was empty now that my outfit was on, gathered the clothes I had arrived in, found my purse and left. I went home and took off all the makeup, which seemed to be caked onto my face—I never wore nearly as much makeup in real life as I did on film and at public events—and changed into jeans and a t-shirt. I called Robert and we decided to go get Panda Express and bring it into a movie.
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The weekend was quickly over and it was Monday, the day of the premiere. On Friday I had gone shopping one last time and picked out the final outfit I needed, and the one I decided to wear to the London premiere. It was a gold and maroon polka-dot metallic brocade dress from Moschino with an empire waist and a maroon flower on one of the straps. I wore it with bronze metallic pumps, also from Moschino and designed to go with the outfit. I also purchased a cognac-colored gem cocktail ring to wear on my right middle finger. I loved the outfit so much, I couldn’t wait for any other of the premieres to wear it.
It was 6pm and I was sitting in the limo on my way to the premiere, Robert in a tux next to me. My hair was slicked back into a simple ponytail, a bronze ribbon tied into it, with my bangs dramatically swept across my forehead and my nails sporting a fresh manicure. I was nervous, and spent the whole ride looking out the window to try to calm my nerves. Robert reached over and took my left hand in his as we arrived in front of the venue. There were what seemed like a million screaming fans, and twice as many flashing paparazzi cameras. As the car slowed to a stop in front of the long red carpet, an old man in tuxedo tails opened the door and helped me out. The screams became louder, and even louder still as Robert climbed out behind me. “It’s okay,” he said soothingly, “They all love you, there’s no reason to be nervous. But I know you still are.” He said with a little laugh.
I squeezed Robert’s hand and said quietly, “Thank you so much. I love you for coming here with me.” Suddenly, Robert pulled me around and put his hands on my bare shoulders. “I love you, Kellie.” He said, and leaned in and kissed me. I couldn’t believe it—not only was I at a glamorous premiere, wearing a gorgeous dress, feeling beautiful, but my boyfriend told me he loved me! I wasn’t sure if I was ready to say it back, but not wanting to ruin the moment, as we turned to walk down the red carpet I said back, “I love you too.”
A woman came over and introduced herself as Jane Mullins, and explained that she would be guiding me down the carpet. I didn’t see why we couldn’t just walk ourselves, but at the same time it made a bit of sense. And so, we went along until we met the fans. I thought I might be knocked out by all of the swinging hands, trying to give me books and posters to sign and take pictures. I hoped I didn’t make any strange faces while signing autographs, because there were a ton of people shoving cameras at me and snapping photos. As I signed as many books, posters, and pictures as I could get my hands on, Robert stood next to me signing autographs as well—he had a lot of Harry Potter fans because he had been in the previous movie.
When we finished the first section of fans, Jane had me walk towards the middle of the carpet as I stopped for various sections of paparazzi. Some photos were of just me, some of me and Robert together. I smiled and stood normally, but then took cues from Robert and waved sometimes, posed sometimes.
Next, we moved on to the video reporters. I was told to answer as many questions as possible, and trust me, there were a lot. As Robert stood with his arm around my waist, many of the reporters shouted questions about us. “Kellie, are you Robert’s guest or is Robert your guest?” was the strangest one, to which Robert answered, “I’m her guest, of course! She’s the beautiful star!” After a while, Robert backed off and left me to answer the questions directed at just myself. “Kellie, who are you wearing?” a woman from British Vogue shouted, to which I answered, “Moschino! I love it!” with a laugh. I answered more questions while having pictures taken, and then was guided to a woman standing next to a camera with a microphone.
“And here’s Kellie Holt!” she started off as I approached, and shook my hand. “Michelle Sullivan, It’s great to meet you, Kellie. So it’s your first premiere, how’s it going?”
I smiled into the camera but tried not to look too awkward and explained, “It’s awesome! There are so many amazing fans here, they’re so devoted and I love it. This carpet is huge! I’m afraid my heels might give out before I make it to the end!”
Michelle laughed. “So, I see you’re here with Robert. He was a star at the premiere last year! Have you seen any other celebrities here that you’d like to meet?” I looked around quickly, as I hadn’t had a chance to pay attention before.
“Well, I haven’t had a chance to see everybody yet, but I’m sure there’ll be quite a few. I know Jo Rowling is here, and of course I can’t wait to see her again! She’s amazing.” I had to quite yell to make my voice heard over the fans’ screaming.
After a few more questions, Michelle Sullivan said, “Now, the last question, and this is quite important—you look lovely tonight, what designer are you wearing?” I tugged at my dress and said, “This is Moschino, and the shoes as well.” She thanked me for my time and I turned to find Robert and Jane.
Robert was nowhere to be seen, but Jane was nearby so I went to her. “Where’s Robert?” I asked curiously as she led me towards another group of fans. “I don’t know, but he said he’ll be back quickly, so I wouldn’t worry!” she said with a polite smile as she backed off and left me to sign more autographs.
“Kellie, I just wanted to tell you that you’re beautiful!” A boy a few years younger than me shouted out while taking video of me and handing me a bunch of flowers.
“Aw, thanks! You’re too kind.” I said politely, even though it was obvious he was about 14. I took the flowers gratefully, and was directed away by Jane. “I’ll hold those flowers for you, that way you don’t have to hold them all night—they’ll be put on ice so they stay fresh during the movie” she explained, and suddenly I spotted Robert. He was talking to Emma, a little too closely for my liking. But I reminded myself that he had just professed his love for me, and I highly doubted he would cheat on me—besides, Emma was one of my best friends, she’d never do that to me.
I moved over to do one last interview, the main interview with the lady who was hosting the live webcast—the premiere was being shown live around the world online. She was holding up an umbrella, as it had started to drizzle a bit, and said, “Hello, Kellie! Oh, you look lovely tonight, what are you wearing?” I explained that my dress was Moschino. “Now, I spoke with JK Rowling a few moments ago, and I’ve been speaking with other cast members and the consensus seems to be that you pretty much are Luna. That’s a huge compliment, isn’t it?” she said in her cute Scottish accent.
“Yes, it really is an incredible compliment, and I feel so touched that they’ve said that. I really just tried my best to put my all into the character of Luna, and I would hate it if I didn’t do her justice, so I hope I have.” I answered over the screams of fans nearby
She smiled and said, “Can you describe your character for us, then?”
“She’s really very…what’s the word? I guess you can call her loopy; she’s really dreamy, but very wise, too. It’s not the type of intelligence you see with, say, Hermione, but a more philosophical type that is unexpected and sometimes overlooked. She’s a bit dreamy, too, and she believes in all sorts of silly things. I think in the book it says that she only believes in things that have absolutely no proof, it’s that sort of funny quality that I think makes her so loveable.”
“She sort of floats around, doesn’t she?” she asked, doing a sort of floating motion with her arms.
“Yeah, she’s really free—nothing holds her down, she just does her own thing. She’s very eccentric.”
“For you, what’s been the best experience so far of being in the world of Harry Potter?”
“Oh, there are so many things. This has changed my whole life, and in a very good way. Just…meeting everyone, making new friends, moving here, starting an acting career. But also meeting JK Rowling for the first time—that was an amazing experience. I was a bit breathless when I saw her on set.”
“And she’s here tonight! She hasn’t been to a premiere since Prisoner of Azkaban, I believe. Well, enjoy tonight, it was lovely speaking with you!” she said, and Jane led me away.
Jane directed me towards the huge glass doors and inside, where there was an empty press stage and a lot of photographers waiting for us to arrive. A woman from Teen Vogue hurried over with a photographer. “Kellie,” she asked as the photographer began snapping pictures, “who are you wearing?” I explained my outfit and let the photographer take a few pictures, and then they thanked me and went off to photograph Emma.
“In a few moments the cast will be called up in groups to have photos taken together,” Jane explained, “It’ll be Mr. Radcliffe, Mr. Grint, and Ms. Watson first, followed by you, Ms. Leung, and Ms. Wright. Afterwards they might pair people up in random groups such as you and Mr. Grint, or you and Ms. Leung, Ms. Wright, and Ms. Watson all together. Finally, the entire cast, including the director and head producer, will be pictured together.”
Just as she finished explaining, Robert came over. “Sorry I took so long…I was just talking to a friend and then I couldn’t find you.” I tried to shrug it off, but I was still annoyed. Oh well, I told myself, this feeling will go away soon. “Who were you talking to?” I asked out of sheer curiosity, even though I knew the answer. “Oh, just a friend of mine, you don’t know him. He was…he was in the crowd of fans, otherwise I’d introduce you to him in here.” I felt a slight twinge of annoyance with that comment…I knew that he had been talking to Emma, and I wouldn’t have been mad if he had told me that, so why was he lying?
I looked away, annoyed, and observed everybody around me. Rupert and Dan were talking together, and when Rupert and I made eye contact, he smiled and waved. I waved back, and then continued to scan the room. Over in a corner, Jo Rowling was standing with her husband in a cream satin cocktail dress, talking to Imelda Staunton, who played Professor Umbridge and was wearing a lovely blue-green brocade dress. I watched Helena Bonham Carter, who had played Bellatrix Lestrange, and her husband Tim Burton, approach the two. Helena looked simply amazing in a peach chiffon draped dress with subtle pink floral print.
David Yates, the director, had now appeared onstage and was adjusting the microphone. “Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press,” he said, clearing his throat, “I’d like to welcome you here and thank you for the effort you’ve put into the promotion of this movie. And now I’m sure you’d like to see the young and beautiful stars rather than an old fart like me, so without further ado…” there was a ripple of laughter from the press as he said this, “Here are the lovely Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson!” Everybody clapped as they made their ways on stage. Emma was wearing the navy blue Chanel dress with blue satin pumps and her hair was styled into gorgeous curls. I looked around and noticed that Katie, Bonnie, Tiana and Andrea were all standing in a little group, so I turned to Robert and said, “I’ll be back, I’m going to go talk to some friends,” but then felt annoyed that I had even felt the need to verify that what I was doing was okay with him—It was obvious that I had some pent-up annoyance that was coming out after a long while.
Katie was wearing the gorgeous Lanvin dress she had explained at the press conference and her hair was half up and teased at the crown, and half down and slick-straight. Bonnie was in the taupe dress with James at her side, who gave me a friendly ‘hello!’ when I approached. Tiana wore a stunning champagne satin cocktail dress, and Andrea was wearing the violet chiffon dress she had picked out when we went shopping, with a black evening jacket over it and gorgeous shell-covered heels. They were all whispering to each other and holding back giggles. I joined in and we talked for a bit while Emma, Rupert, and Dan had their photos taken together. Soon, though, they were led off stage. David Yates once again walked onto the stage and began talking, and within moments I heard my name being announced along with Bonnie and Katie, and we all walked up together and held hands and laughed and smiled and posed as our photos were taken. A man in the crowd shouted “a beautiful trio!” much to my disliking—after all, he was missing three teeth when he smiled and had a long ratty ponytail. While we posed for the pictures, I glanced back and Robert was once again talking to Emma, but this time she looked slightly annoyed.
Finally, after about five minutes, we were motioned to exit the stage. Robert had walked back over to where Jane was waiting for me and we stood together for a few minutes. I confronted him on the fact that I had seen him talking to Emma earlier and asked why he had lied to me. “Baby,” he said in a sugary voice, “I’d never lie to you about something like that! I really was talking to a friend, and then afterwards I ran into Emma so we chatted for a minute, that’s all! I just didn’t think to mention that.” I felt bad for ever having been mad at him, and gave him a hug before the whole cast was called to the stage.
However, while we stood on stage, Emma and I were next to each other and she nudged me and began whispering to me, “Kellie, I need to tell you something—keep smiling—and I’m really sorry for this…but Robert keeps coming over and talking to me, and not normal things. He keeps telling me things like that I’m beautiful, and that…” I nearly gasped, but remembered that I was being photographed, so I kept a now-fake smile plastered on my face, covering the sadness and disappointment as she continued, more quiet than ever, “that he wishes…he said ‘I wish I were single, because I really think I like you.’” And with that she let out a tiny squeak and covered her mouth quickly. I took her hand and squeezed it tightly, and then said, “Thank you, Emma. I’m in no way mad at you…You’re an amazing friend for telling me that.” And all the while we continued smiling, waving, and posing for the pictures.
When we got off the stage, instead of making my way over to Robert to ‘have a talk’ with him, I stayed with my friends. I talked to them a while, in which time the beautiful Jo Rowling joined us, wearing a gorgeous champagne satin halter dress. We all talked for a while and met a few new people as well as some fans that had tickets to the premiere. Finally, when everybody started to make their way into the theatre, Robert approached me. “Are you alright?” He asked, giving me a kiss on the cheek. I didn’t answer, but said, “Come here,” and took him by the hand down an empty hallway. He gave an excited laugh and said, “ooh, this is good…lots of nice, dark rooms for us to—“ but I whipped around and stopped him. “How long have you been lying to me?” I asked curtly, not in the mood to listen to him anymore. “What are you talking about, baby?” he said, leaning in and trying to kiss me. I backed off and said, “Don’t even call me baby. I know what you were saying to Emma.” With this I felt tears gather in my eyes, but I blinked them away, determined not to let my mascara run because of this. “Robert, if you don’t think I’m good enough, don’t be such an ass and try to hide it from me.” I felt a surge of anger and hurt, and also a bit of ambition, so I added, “You aren’t man enough to be able to tell the truth. If you continue on like that, you’re screwed.”
Robert looked annoyed, but wiped the look off his face and put his hand on my cheek. “Whatever she’s saying is a lie, baby, I don’t just go around telling every girl around that I love them. I really, really do love you. Come on, let’s forget that lie. I love you!” He took my face in his hands and kissed me, and when I tried to pull away I couldn’t. I punched him in the shoulder, and finally, given no other choice, kicked him in the shin with the heel of my stiletto. He pulled his face off of mine and shouted a few choice words, and I slapped him across the face and walked away, out through the now empty press room, and into the theatre. David Yates was on the stage announcing the cast, and I realized that I needed to be up there soon. I looked around and found Jane, who was motioning for me. She led me quickly backstage, daring me to run in my 4-inch heels, and to the side where I could just see David talking. He called out Dan’s name, who broke away from the crowd and went onstage. I found Emma and pulled her aside.
“I dumped him.” I said, with a slight smile. I may not have looked disappointed, but I could feel the tears trying to come out, and I knew the moment I got home they’d start flowing. Emma looked sad and guilty. “I’m so sorry, Kellie, I really am. You two were great together, and I never thought I’d be the one to get in the way of it.”
“Don’t blame yourself! It was bound to end anyways with his hidden attitude, you just happened to help it come faster—and good thing, too. I’d rather not have had that relationship go on and me become even more attached.” Now Emma’s name was called, and she hugged me and walked onstage. As I stood alone backstage, I began to let the thoughts flow freely through my head. That’s it, then, I thought, we’re through. I’m single again… When I was called onstage, I simply walked out, joined hands with the rest of the group, and waited as David talked for a while. Finally, he said, “Well, I guess I should let these ones get back to their seats. And I might as well start walking too, that way with my old age I’ll be in my seat by time the movie’s over.” The crowd laughed, and then applauded as we went backstage and through the doors that opened into the audience. I was seated next to Robert, who I had assumed left after the fight, but to my disappointment I saw that he was indeed sitting in the seat right next to where I was assigned. “Kellie,” Katie’s voice came from behind, “Emma told me what happened. Why don’t you come sit with me, I have an empty seat next to me.”
And so I went and sat between Katie and Dan, who had been strategically placed together because of their roles in the movie—their characters went out for part of the movie. When we sat down, there were still about five minutes before the movie started, so Katie and I talked for a bit. “Oh, my feet are killing me!” she said, pointing to the black round-toe satin pumps she was wearing, which also sported 4-inch heels. “I don’t care if they stink; I’m taking them off, because that’s a three-hour resting period for my poor toes!” I laughed, but then realized that mine hurt terribly as well. The ankle straps were rubbing against my ankles painfully and my toes were squished against the peep-toe openings. So I did the same, and we were surprised to find that our pained feet actually let off a pretty, flowery scent. “It must be the pedicures we got this morning!” I said with a laugh.
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The movie had been put together magnificently. The special effects were amazing, the music was beautiful, and yet there was my face, magnified fifty times. It was just about the strangest feeling I’d ever had, seeing my face cast up on the huge screen, looking slightly crazy and very Luna-like. Once in a while the little girl sitting in the row in front of me would turn around and look at me, like she was comparing my face and the face on the screen. It made me a bit self-conscious, but the each time she did it, Katie would start giggling and I had to slap her arm.
Afterwards, the audience applauded and I felt a surge of excitement. Katie and I slipped our shoes back on reluctantly, and as we filed out of the theatre, many people approached us and made polite compliments on our acting. We went outside, where a bunch of limos were waiting. Jane pointed towards one, which Robert and I were supposed to be sharing. “Jane, If Robert tries to come into the party, will you make sure he’s not allowed? After all, he didn’t buy a ticket or anything, he was coming on my invitation. But that kind of fell through…” Jane assured me that he wouldn’t have entry to the after party, and closed the door to the limo, which took me to Old Billingsgate Market, where the after party awaited.
The party went on from 9pm to 2 in the morning, and I had no plans on leaving before the party ended. We danced around and spent the whole night laughing, it was more fun than I’d had in a long time. Bonnie, Katie, Emma and I were the last few to leave. Dan had an early morning interview on a talk show the next morning, so he left around midnight. Rupert hung out with us most of the night, but when his little sister was a bit too tired to function, he said goodbye and took her home. When we finally did leave, Katie said, “How about you three spend the night at my apartment!” and so we piled into Katie’s limo to go to her apartment. On the way, we stopped at my flat and I grabbed some clothes for the next day, pajamas, and my car keys, and then followed the limo from my flat to Katie’s apartment—she had offered to loan pajamas and clothes to Emma and Bonnie, as they lived much farther away.
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“Excuse me, ma’am, can I offer you a beverage?” the flight attendant’s voice said softly to me, being careful not to wake Bonnie who was sleeping in the seat closest to the aisle. I had been reading the script for The Half-Blood Prince which I had officially signed onto three days ago, the day after the premiere.
“Oh, can I just have bottled water? Thanks.” I said politely, and the woman handed me a bottle and a cup of ice and moved on to the row behind me. I could hear Emma and Katie ordering their drinks. We were in the first class section of British Air on our way to New York for the premiere. My parents, as well as Savannah and Nicole, were already in New York, and had been for two days. They were going to meet me and the girls at the airport and take us all out to dinner.
The premiere wasn’t for three days, but before it we had a very busy schedule. We would be appearing on The Today Show and TRL, holding the press conference and photo call, and interviewed and photographed for Seventeen Magazine. I knew there would be a lot of fans and paparazzi waiting for us at the airport—after all, it was all four of us arriving at the same time, and the boys arriving one hour after on a different plane—so we were all dressed nicely. I had on a crisp white lacy button-down blouse and a light violet asymmetrical-hem skirt with a rope belt and silver sandals. Bonnie, who was now snoring softly next to me, wore a white button-down with cuffed sleeves and light blue and brown stripes with black Bermuda shorts and black velvet peep-toe pumps. Emma and Katie were in the row behind us, Katie in a white t-shirt, brown hounds tooth vest, and black cuffed shorts with bronze metallic woven leather peep-toe pumps, and Emma in a black tank top, black slacks, a light brown checked jacket with a ruffled hem, and black strappy sandals.
I looked out the window and noticed that I could finally see the coast on the horizon. Just as I was reaching under my seat to get my makeup bag, Bonnie stirred. “hey, did you sleep good?” I asked, rifling through my bag and finally finding the LeSportSac makeup bag. “Yeah…how long did I sleep, though?” she asked, rubbing her eyes and then taking my cue and pulling out her polka-dot makeup bag as well. “Oh, about three hours or so. I got through the whole script while you were sleeping—it’s really good!” We started to touch up our makeup, as the ten-hour flight meant creased eye shadow, and the sleeping meant a lot of smudging. I put on a bit of blush and fixed my eye shadow and mascara, and then, as I touched up my lipgloss, the plane began its descent.
When we walked through the security gate and into the baggage claim, there was a huge barricade behind which many fans were screaming and waving and paparazzi were hidden behind their cameras taking pictures. “Just smile and wave!” Emma suggested, and we all followed her. I spotted my parents and Savannah and Nicole at the end of the barricade waiting for us and felt a surge of excitement—this was the first time they’d seen me in person being a ‘star’. I waved at them and we made our way past the barricades, waving and smiling and signing a few autographs. When we finally reached the end, my parents each greeted me with a big hug and a kiss, and I hugged Savannah and Nicole and then prepared to introduce everyone.
We had to get out to the limo waiting to pick us up, so I talked as we walked along, two men behind us carrying our luggage. “Okay, so Mom, Dad, Savannah, Nicole—this is Katie, Bonnie, and Emma. Girls, these are my friends Savannah and Nicole and my parents Connie and Jay.” Everyone said hello to each other, and Savannah and Nicole looked slightly star-struck, but not too severely—they definitely knew how to keep their heads on straight. We climbed into the limo and once all 8 of us were inside it was awfully full. “So where are we going to dinner?” I asked as the limo drove down the busy New York streets. I was looking out the window excitedly at all of the lit-up signs, classy restaurants, and many designer boutiques. “We thought we’d go out to a really nice Thai restaurant we found last night.” My mom said, and I noticed that she hadn’t been able to stop smiling since I first spotted her in the airport. Savannah and Nicole were sitting on either side of me and I struck up conversation between all of us—I loved all of my friends and hoped they would get along well.
After a delicious dinner and a fun evening, we all retired to our hotel rooms—my parents were staying at the same hotel as us, and I hade made an arrangement with Molly to put Nicole and Savannah in the same room as me, which she did. My parents were on one side of our room, and Katie, Bonnie and Emma were on the other with an adjoining door. So, after checking in and saying goodnight to my parents, we opened the doors and all piled into my room. We spent the whole night gossiping and laughing and showing off our outfits for the New York premiere. Savannah and Nicole showed us what they had picked out. “Well, we went shopping yesterday and found this amazing vintage store, and they had the most amazing dresses ever, so we bought our things there” Savannah explained, and then they went into the bedroom to change into their ensembles, which is how we had been showing each other our outfits.
When they came out, Savannah was dressed in a gorgeous sage green floaty chiffon dress with a gold large-bead necklace, a gold leather clutch, chic fishnets, and black point-toed pumps. “Oh my gosh, Savannah, you look amazing!” I said, and everyone quickly agreed. Nicole followed her out, and I could hardly speak when I saw her. She was never big on fashion trends, but she looked amazing in cream chiffon empire-waist dress with gold specks, a dark teal wool coat to go over it, cream-and-teal peep toe pumps, and a metallic bronze mesh clutch. “Nicole! You’re gorgeous!” I said, and jumped up to examine her beautiful dress. She was beaming and looked extremely happy.
After we had all tried on our dresses, we danced around in them for a bit while listening to music, but then found that we were insanely tired, so we changed into our pajamas and, rather than sleeping in our respective beds, crashed on the couches and floor in my hotel room. When we woke up, it was 6 and I had just barely picked up the phone for the wake-up call, almost missing it. I woke the girls up and we ordered room service while we got ready for the day. Today we had appearances on the Today Show at 9 and TRL at 2. This time we were allowed to dress ourselves, and we already had both outfits picked out. I took a shower and did my hair and makeup, then changed into a light pink short-sleeve scoop neck cashmere cardigan with a satin cami underneath and a black tweed skirt and tan heeled sandals. After seeing us off at 7:30, I was sure that Savannah and Nicole were going to go back to sleep, as they didn’t have any plans until they were meeting us at 11 after the show.
My parents were up drinking coffee in their pajamas and hotel-provided robes, and they took a picture of me all dressed up and ready to go, and then one with Bonnie, Emma, and Katie with me. I hugged them quickly and we had to rush downstairs, as we couldn’t be late. When we arrived at the studios, there were a lot of fans as usual waiting for us to make our entrance, and we signed a few autographs before going inside. When we got in, we were already dressed and ready to go, so we went over the transcript of questions while we waited in our dressing room.
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An hour and a half later, we were emerging from the Today Show studios. We had conducted the interviews perfectly, and afterwards Katie Couric and Matt Lauer talked to us for a bit. Now we were on our way to meet Savannah and Nicole at Time Square for lunch. After signing some autographs, we climbed into the limo and rode over to the square, where Nicole and Savannah were waiting on a bench. They were once again dressed stunningly, Savannah in a pink v-neck cardigan with floral embroidery on the neckline, white city shorts, wooden wedges, and a brown leather tote and Nicole in a purple polka-dot kimono top, khaki pants, and glittery flats with a cute decorated bag. “Wow, you guys look great again!” I said as we got out of the limo and hugged them each. “Well, we figured that while we’re with you, you never know when you’ll be targeted by paparazzi, and we don’t want to look ugly in the background!” Savannah said with a laugh. We didn’t want anything too fancy for lunch, so we found a Panda Express and ordered our meals to go, and then brought our food to a nearby park to eat.
“Excuse me, ladies, but are you three in Harry Potter?” A man asked as we sat on a bench eating and watching kids play and old men fight Chess battles. He was the first person to ask for our autographs, and suddenly, as he walked away happily with four fresh autographs, a dozen young girls came running towards us, which was a pretty scary sight. We signed autographs and took pictures with the girls, and then tossed our leftover food in the trash can and left before another huge group had the chance to bombard us.
1 o’clock rolled around and I arrived at the MTV Studios. I had already changed into my outfit for the show—a grey silk kimono top with floral print over a black tank top, a black pencil skirt, and black peep-toe pumps. There were a ton of fans waiting outside, and many of them held up signs with such phrases as “MARRY ME DAN!” or “I LOVE RUPERT!” and I even spotted one amidst the crowd which said in big blue letters, “I’M CRAZIER THAN LUNA!” which made me laugh a bit. I got out of my limo and Molly told me to go straight inside, so I waved at the cheering fans and went in through the big glass double-doors. Behind my limo there were three others waiting, one each for Dan, Emma, and Rupert. I waited for them to come in and then we all walked together to the elevator.
We chatted with the co-hosts, Anne Bradburry (who was British as well) and Mike Smith, for a bit, and they explained the pre-show skit we’d be doing. This happened before every show with the celebrities being featured, and Anne began to explain it to us. Once she was finished, we got in our positions to be filmed. This was a live shot, so we only had one chance to get it right. The camera man stood outside a doorway with mistletoe above it and Mike leaned against the frame like he was just waiting around. “Alright, three, two, one…go!” The cameraman said, mouthing the last word as the red light turned on to show it was filming. I walked towards the doorway, said a polite “hello” to Mike, and he stopped me under the doorway and said, “Oh, look! Mistletoe!” which happened to be one of my lines from the movie. I looked up and then gave him a strange look. “Nargles…hello!” I said, then scoffed and walked away. I met up with Dan, Emma, and Rupert, who were in a huddle talking. “Oh, hey guys!” I said animatedly, and they greeted me. “I’m so excited to be back at TRL!” Dan said ecstatically. “Yeah, I love this show.” Rupert added. “Really? I’m just so nervous…I mean, it’s live and in front of all of those people! What if I trip?” I declared. “Oh, it’s going to be fine! I mean, the atmosphere is great, and with all those fans, you’ll be way too excited to be nervous.” Emma ensured me. Just then, Anne walked up. “Hello, everyone!” she said, joining our group. We all said our hellos, and then she began talking about how excited she was to meet four young British actors and actresses. “I mean, I feel so alone here in America, like there’s no one my age and British.” She explained.
“Um, Anne…I’m American.” I explained cautiously. She had a baffled look on her face and then said, “Wait…you mean, you’ve been lying to me this whole time?” “Well, no…I mean, I just faked the British accent, but I never said I was British!” Anne looked truly devastated and said, “Well…fine! Come on, Emma, we don’t need to be around the likes of her anymore!” And she grabbed Emma by the arm and pulled her away. Emma turned back and mouthed, ‘sorry!’ before being pulled out the door. Rupert, Dan and I stood in silence for a few seconds. “So, uh…” I said awkwardly, and Dan said, “Eh…who needs them anyway?” “Yeah,” Rupert added, “Let’s just go do TRL on our own!” and so we all went down the hall, and before turned the corner, I spun around and said, “TRL starts now!” into the camera.
Anne Bradburry and Mike Smith went out onto the studio floor, where 100 cheering fans were sitting, including Savannah and Nicole. They talked a bit and introduced the top three music videos. Finally, Mike started to introduce them, “All right, everyone, I’m sure you’re all excited for the release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, right?” The audience answered this with loud cheering, and he continued, “Well, the premiere is in two days now, and as you know the Potter cast is all in town. So today, four of those awesome actors are visiting us. That’s right, here in the studio we’ve got Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Kellie Holt!” the audience cheered and screamed, and we got our cue to go out on stage. We all came out and the audience was standing and cheering. I immediately spotted Nicole and Savannah, who were cheering loudest of all. “Alright, go over and wave at everyone outside!” Anne suggested, and we all gathered by the windows and waved outside, where all of the fans cheered and waved back.
Ten minutes into the show, they had shown four videos and asked us each a plethora of questions. Now there was a competition between two fans, and the winner would be sent to the set of Half-Blood Prince. After they were finished competing, Mike turned back to us. “So, we’ve been told that not only will the premiere arrivals be broadcast live over the internet, but the after-party will as well, both in New York and LA! Oh, and a source has told us that the after party in LA will have live karaoke?” he laughed. “Yeah, and unfortunately I offered to sing. Don’t ask me why, though.” I said. “Well,” Emma said, “Kellie’s quite the wonderful singer, actually, so I don’t see why she’s worried!” Just then, music began playing, and I immediately recognized it as “Like We Never Loved at All” by Faith Hill. “So we’ve been told!” Anne said, “So, Kellie, how ‘bout it? Why don’t you give us a little preview of what we can see at the party!”
I was insanely nervous. I looked around, trying to back out of it somehow, but suddenly I heard Nicole shout from the audience, “Do it, Kellie!” So I held up the microphone and began singing. When I was finished, everyone cheered loudly, and I couldn’t help but laugh—I had just sung on live national TV!” We talked for a bit more, and then the show was over and we went backstage. After thanking everybody for their help, I met Nicole and Savannah out in front of the studio. As we were walking through the crowd, Rupert said, “Hey, I’ve got a friend that lives here in New York…his parents are having some big fancy dinner party tonight, and they’re letting him have friends over too. I don’t really know any of his friends and I don’t want to go alone…so I was wondering if you’d like to come with me?” I said yes, of course, and then we separated to get in our limos, Savannah and Nicole going with me.
“Rupert asked me to go to a dinner party tonight with him, his friend’s parents are having it and he doesn’t want to go alone.” I explained as we rode to the hotel. It was four o’clock and Rupert had promised to pick me up at 7:30. So we went to the hotel and had dinner with my parents. Then I took another shower and pulled my hair back into an elegant ponytail with cascading curls. I did my makeup and then pulled all of the girls into the room and held 8 different dresses up to myself and asked what I should wear.
Eventually they had it between a vintage peach empire-waist chiffon dress, a copper satin dress, and a metallic multi-colored Zac Posen number. It was Savannah who made the final decision, as none of us could pick out what was just right. I put on the copper halter dress with a beaded empire waist-line and put on black peep-toe pumps with it. I kept the jewelry simple with black pearl flower earrings. I slipped my ID, some lipstick, money, and the hotel key in a black velvet wristlet just as there came a knock on the door. Nicole answered it as Savannah and Katie made sure I was ready.
“Hey, Rupert!” I said, walking out of the bathroom and towards the door. He smiled and gave me a hug when I got to the door. “Don’t have too much fun, kids!” Nicole called out jokingly before we left, and Savannah added, “And don’t stay out too late! You’ve got a long day ahead of you!” and when I shut the door, the last thing I heard was their laughter.
Rupert was wearing a simple white button-down with black pants, and blazer. When we arrived at the party, a very prominent looking couple was standing at the door greeting guests as they arrived. The woman wore a beautiful petrol satin gown with a fishtail hem and the most dazzling diamond chandelier earrings I’d ever seen, and the man was decked out in tuxedo tails. Already familiar with Rupert, they greeted him and then introduced themselves to me, then directed us to the room where Rupert’s friend was. As we walked through the huge house, I said, “The hostess makes me wonder whether I’m too underdressed for this type of thing…I’ve never been to a dinner party before.” But Rupert was quick to dash my worries and said, “You look amazing, and you’re dressed perfectly.”
When we entered the room, there were two dozen other people and a lot of loud music. Rupert took my hand and led me through the crowd towards a boy sitting on the couch with a pretty girl in a brown floaty chiffon dress curled up next to him laughing. “Hey, Rupert, what’s up?” the boy said when he saw us, and he stood up and clapped Rupert on the back. “Have I ever told you about my girlfriend Amy?” Rupert said hello to Amy, who waved back with an awed, star struck look on her face. “This is my friend Kellie Holt,” Rupert said, and I shook the boy’s hand, who introduced himself as James, and then smiled towards Amy. “Wow, nice to meet you, Kellie! Man, Rupert, I knew you were friends, but I never knew you were dating!” I thought that was a joke, but I soon realized he was serious, and was looking at us with an expectant and questioning look.
“Oh…erm, we’re not dating…we’re just friends.” Rupert said, and I could tell he was slightly embarrassed; there was a slightly awkward moment following. Finally, James collapsed back onto the couch and Amy laid down, her head in his lap. “Well…there’s a lot of people here that’ll want to meet you guys, so go ahead and mingle! They’re all my friends, I’m sure you’ll like them.”
So we took his suggestion and mingled through the crowd of finely dressed teenagers. A few of them gave me weird looks for unknown reasons, but most of them were falling over to get to Rupert and there were a few guys that I noticed were trying to flirt with me. After a while, having met just about everyone there, it got a bit boring. I realized the only reason anyone was paying us any attention was because we were actors, and I was also starting to get a bit hungry. I had thought, being that James’ parents were having a dinner party, that we would be provided with dinner as well. However, all that was available to us were a few appetizers and drinks. I ate a few shrimp and had a glass of Coke, which was the only soda they had—the rest was alcohol. Now just about everyone but me and Rupert was a bit tipsy, and I was starting to feel faint with hunger.
Rupert must have noticed that I looked sick, because he said, “Come on, this is no fun and we need to eat something—let’s go get some food, eh?” I agreed and, after saying goodbye to James, whose lips were locked onto Amy’s the entire time, we left the room. As we walked down the hall, we could still hear the beat of Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” reverberating against the walls.
We found the nearest restaurant, a country-themed pizza place, and found an empty table and sat down. “I’m sorry, that party absolutely sucked. I’ve never been to one of James’ parties, I just thought it would be nice to hang out with him and meet some of his friends…that was a pretty bad idea, I guess.” Rupert apologized as we shared a basket of garlic breadsticks.
“No way! It’s not your fault at all…and besides, it was okay for a while. James was pretty nice…I was just hungry and feeling a little light-headed near the end.” I said reassuringly, and we sat in silence for a moment, just listening to “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” play overhead and the chatter of the other diners. We ordered our pizza and talked for a bit, Rupert calming my nerves about the premiere—the New York premiere was to be the actual World premiere of the movie, so more people would be present and more eyes would be on me than ever—and both of us discussing the exciting new HBP script.
When Rupert brought me home, it was close to midnight—after dinner we wanted to hang out a bit more, so we walked around Central Park, which was absolutely beautiful when it was all lit up at night. When he brought me to the hotel, he got out of the cab with me and hugged me before saying goodbye. “Thanks so much for coming with me tonight, Kellie—I know it would’ve been an absolute bore without you, but I had a ton of fun. I’ll see you tomorrow!” and then he got back into the cab to go to his hotel, which was two blocks away. I stood in the doorway for a moment smiling, watching the cars pass by noisily. Something told me that I wanted to be more than just friends with Rupert. I finally went through the door--as the doorman coughed noticeably and I realized I must have looked crazy standing out there--and upstairs to our room.
----------------------------------------------------
“So what happened last night, anyway?” Savannah asked the next morning over breakfast. She and Nicole had been asleep when I returned, and now as we sat in the outdoor café down the street from the hotel eating breakfast, they demanded to know every detail of the evening. I smiled and took a bite of my French toast, swallowed, and began telling them.
“And then, he hugged me and thanked me for coming, and told me that he’d had an amazing time,” I finished ten minutes later as we paid for our food and left. Nicole and Savannah
had giggled, gasped, and swooned their way through the story. “So, do you love him or what?” Nicole said with a laugh. “Oh, yeah right. We’re not even dating, how can I be in love?” I said, but then softened up a bit and added, “But I do like him. He’s a great guy. I feel weird having feelings for someone only a week after having broken up with Robert, but it just feels so…right.”
We went back to the hotel and I changed into my outfit for the press conference—a cream silk cami under a cream blazer, a rose-patterned skirt with a brown leather belt, wooden-heeled brown leather butterfly platforms, and wood and gold bangles. As I looked in the mirror at my hair, which was in a braid in the back of my head, I let out a little cry and said, “I want my brown hair back!” I had been keeping my hair blonde for the time being, though it was naturally brown, because I found it pointless to change it for 4 months and then have to re-color it before I started filming for HBP. However, nobody had told me I was required to keep it blonde, and I made a decision: the press conference was to be over at noon, and we Katie, Bonnie, Emma and I were being photographed and interviewed by Seventeen magazine at one, but afterwards I had the afternoon and evening to do whatever I wanted. So I declared to Savannah, who was sitting on the edge of the bathtub painting her toenails, “I’m dying my hair brown tonight!”
The press conference went by quickly, and afterwards we had an hour-long photo call. While waiting for our names to be called for photos, we all waited in a conference room connected to the hotel room where the photo call was held. One by one, in no particular order this time, everyone was called out, until it was only Dan, Katie, Rupert, and me. The four of us were sitting around talking, and Katie and Dan were holding hands, now in a strong and no longer secret (at least to the cast—the Media did not yet know, though they were planning on revealing their relationship at an upcoming premiere) relationship. Katie’s name was called and Dan gave her an encouraging kiss on the cheek. She stood up, straightened her outfit—a pretty emerald green shirtdress—and we wished her luck as she left.
Dan was called a few minutes after Katie, which left just me and Rupert. We talked for a bit and wondered allowed who would be called next. Only too quickly did we hear David Heyman’s voice call out, “and now the fine actor who plays Ron Weasley, Rupert Grint!” Rupert stood up and I did the same, as I knew I would be next. I was just about to wish him luck when he leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips. I was shocked and for a moment I couldn’t say anything. Rupert smiled at me and said, “I want to talk after this, okay?” and then left through the door. I knew that I wanted to be with Rupert, and though I was telling myself I shouldn’t date anyone so soon after ending a relationship, my heart and gut were telling me to go for it. And so, as my name was called out, I decided to do just that.
An hour later, we were leaving the hotel where the conference and photo call had taken place. There seemed to be a holdup at the front of the drive-up, and Molly turned to us and said, “All right, there’s been a bit of a mess-up on behalf of the limousine service, I’m afraid everybody will have to double up in a limo.” Katie and Dan immediately climbed into one, Bonnie and Emma—who was still wearing her outfit from the conference, a black tweed Chanel mini with black leather flat boots—into another, and that left me and Rupert. I was glad of this—a chance for us to talk. We sat down and closed the door, and Rupert smiled shyly.
“Rupert, I think…” I started, but I didn’t know what to say, I had suddenly choked up—I smiled and Rupert seemed to understand. For some reason tears started streaming down my eyes, and Rupert put his arms around me and pulled my head against his chest. “It’s all right, Kellie. If you’re not ready for this, I’ll wait—I know you just got done with Robert, I know you’re probably not ready to start a new relationship. You just tell me. All I want to ask is that you’ll go to dinner with me tonight.”
Happy that Rupert was giving me choices understandingly, I lifted my head and said, “I’d love to, Rupert,” and he put his arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head. Soon we stopped in front of a tall building and the driver came around and opened the door. “Ms. Holt, we have arrived at your destination, the Avenue of the Americas building.” I was confused, as I hadn’t had any idea where we were going, really, I just assumed we were returning to our hotels. The driver seemed to notice my confusion, and he further explained, “The Avenue of the Americas building is home to Seventeen magazine, on the thirteenth floor.”
“Oh! Okay, I didn’t realize we were coming straight here.” I said, and after hugging Rupert goodbye, I climbed out and met with Bonnie, Katie, and Emma, who were also going to be in the interview and spread with me—a spread about staying friends in the crazy, hectic world of filming. We went inside and registered for guest passes, and then were directed towards the elevators and up to the 13th floor.
“Good afternoon, ladies, it’s so great to meet you. I’m Jenna Straus and I’ll be interviewing you today!” A lively young brunette in a rainbow-striped sundress said as she led us to her spacious office. She closed the door and offered us each a seat on a big black leather couch. We spent about an hour answering questions and carrying on a fun dialogue, and afterwards she led us to the photography department for the photo shoot.
A guy in his late thirties with an unattractive woolly sweater and thick black plastic-rim glasses greeted us and brought us into the studio. There was a set already ready for us, including lights, props, and a plain white backdrop. “All right, ladies, we’re going to do two different sets with two different outfits and backdrops,” he explained stiffly, “The first will be shopping themed; the second will be red-carpet themed. Now go see Lindsay in the back for your costumes.”
We followed the direction of his finger into a small room with two racks of clothing and a box labeled “’Friendly Faces’ shoot”. “Good afternoon, ladies! I’m Lindsay, the wardrobe coordinator.” She warmly shook each of our hands and asked us how the press conference went before showing us our outfits. “All right, I’ve picked out an outfit for each of you based on photos of you that I think show the best cuts and colors for your bodies, skin, and hair color.” Lindsay said, and she pulled up the first rack of clothing. She handed us each various articles of clothing and showed us to the dressing rooms. I went into my dressing room and looked at the outfit she had given me—a crisp white button down under a pretty yellow pea coat, dark cuffed jeans, and velvet flats. I put it all on and went out to the main room, where Bonnie was waiting, also already dressed. She had on a brown sweater with a double-strand pearl necklace, a dark teal coat, jeans, and dark teal pointed-toe pumps with a lighter teal leather purse. The teal set off her vibrant red curls perfectly and made her green eyes pop. Katie was out next in a long fitted white tank top with a cropped, shirred floral chiffon button-down over jeans with silver round-toe kitten heels. Emma followed shortly after in a floral blouse with a ribbon-tie at the empire waist over indigo skinny jeans and vibrant raspberry satin peep-toe pumps.
After spending a while in hair and makeup, we were brought out to the set once again. The man that we had spoken to in the beginning finally introduced himself as Thomas Paler, the photographer. His expensive camera was set up on a tripod and the lights were on so that they reflected perfectly and lit everything up. I still didn’t understand why we were against a plain white backdrop instead of at an actual set, like it had been with the Teen Vogue shoot. As if he had read my mind, Thomas explained, “We’ll be setting a backdrop in on the computer—though you may have been at actual sites in your fancy Vogue shoots, the owners of Seventeen would rather spend that money on clothes, as they don’t have enough for both clothes and actual sets.” He seemed slightly bitter, and quickly went behind the camera to begin shooting.
At the last moment, Lindsay rushed in and handed us our props—two big shopping carriers each, from high-fashion designers like Chanel, Dior, and Ralph Lauren. Thomas began snapping photos as we did our best to look like we were having a blast shopping in New York rather than just posing in a stuffy studio with a grumpy photographer for Seventeen. We tried different poses, but we soon learned that holding two large carriers made regular poses slightly difficult, so in the end we stuck with three poses and instead varied our facial expressions from happy, to cute, to excited, and so on.
When we were done with that set, we were redirected to the dressing rooms where our outfits were already hanging up. In my room was a cream silk floor-length dress with tulips in various browns, oranges, and tans. It was beautiful, and I loved it—although I admit it would look a lot better if I had brown hair, and I was a bit regretful that I hadn’t made the change sooner. I put on the dress despite my objection to hair color. I was the last out, having spent so much time distressing over my soon-to-be-changed hair color, and the other three girls were waiting in equally lovely dresses. Bonnie had on a lilac Narciso Rodriguez gown with muted silver Louboutin sandals, Emma was in a multi-shade blue chiffon Emilio Pucci halter gown with matching satin lace-up shoes, and Katie had a gorgeous silver satin fitted Calvin Klein gown with a small train and black patent leather strappy sandals.
We went to hair and makeup again, where our hair was done up into pretty up-dos and our makeup was made smoky and perfect for nighttime on the red carpet. We went back out to the set, where Thomas and an assistant were looking at the pictures they had just taken of us on the computer. Already there was a backdrop put in, which was amazing as they had finished that in under an hour, and we all crowded behind them to find pictures of us in front of the Chanel boutique in New York. When Thomas realized we were behind him, he told us to be ready on the set, and we stood around as his assistant adjusted the lights and began shooting.
That afternoon I went to the salon where I had my hair appointment. I was reading the latest Vogue and sitting with my hair done up in foil under a dryer waiting for the dye to set in. It was about 5, and Rupert called me to say that he would pick me up at 7:30. I finished reading an article in Vogue as the hair dresser took off the dryer and led me back to her station. She took my hair out of the foil folds and showed me the result—a gorgeous chocolate brown that cascaded in waves past my shoulders. I admired it in the mirror for a moment as she blow-dried it, and then she took the smock off and, after paying her with a generous tip, I left to meet Savannah and Nicole back at the hotel.
When I got into our room, they were sitting around the little table eating very good-smelling pizza. “Oh my gosh, Kellie, your hair looks amazing!” Savannah shrieked the moment she saw me. I blushed a little, and then asked them about their day. “Well, we didn’t have much planned, but we went to the Guggenheim and then we went shopping and found even more amazing vintage shops, and most of them were really affordable!” Nicole explained as Savannah finished off a piece of pizza. “And how was your day?” she added expectantly.
I told them about the press conference and some of the strange questions we were asked, and then about the photo call, and tried to stealthily slip in the part about Rupert kissing me and asking me to dinner, but they caught it right away. “OH MY GOSH! I knew it!” Savannah shrieked, dropping her pizza and doing a little dance. I told them that he was picking me up at 7:30, and I now only had two hours to get ready, and I hadn’t even picked out what to wear.
“Oh, that reminds me! While you’re finding something to wear, I’ll go get the stuff we bought for you.” Savannah said, getting up and going to rummage through the bags sitting by the couch. “Aww, you guys didn’t need to buy me anything!” I said as I went into the bedroom and opened the closet. I hadn’t brought a lot of evening clothes, as the only things we had planned were the premieres and TV appearances, but I assumed we would be going to dinners or parties as well, so I had brought about 5 dresses from my closet in London. I’d already worn the copper satin one to the party the other night, so I knew that wouldn’t work well. I went through the other dresses as well as my skirts and blouses, but nothing seemed right for a first date with Rupert—after all, I hadn’t exactly been planning on this happening. Savannah and Nicole came in with a bag with “Destiny Vintage” printed on it and handed it to me with giddy smiles.
“Is this for me?” I asked and they nodded, so I pulled out the contents of the bag. First were gorgeous chocolate brown leather fold-down pirate boots that went to mid-calf with a kitten heel. “Wow, these are awesome! Thanks so much!” I said, trying them on—a perfect fit. Next was a gorgeous coral pink silk sleeveless dress with a tie-waist and cowl neck with ruched shoulders. I held it up to myself in the mirror in awe. “This is gorgeous! It’s…it’s perfect! I’m wearing it tonight!” I exclaimed, and they seemed delighted. “It’s vintage from the 70s! And the boots are vintage 80s.” Nicole said as I pulled off my jeans and t-shirt and tried it on, and to my excitement it fit perfectly. “Thank you guys so much! I love it!” I said with a tearful hug for both of them.
“So, what are you going to wear with it?” Savannah said, breaking me out of the hug. I turned around and looked into the closet, trying to decide on what shoes to wear. “Well, I don’t know! It has to be something light and airy like this dress, but…um…well, I guess neutral colors so it doesn’t take away from the dress itself, so no prints or like, blues or greens or anything of course.” I said, and they both helped me hold up different shoes to the dress until I could pick out the perfect pair. “I think wedges would look really cute with it.” Nicole said, holding up a pair of espadrille wedge sandals with three smooth jade stones on them. They set off the coral perfectly, and I put them on. “They’re great! Nice choice, Nicole.” Savannah said and Nicole gave a proud smile. “Well, I always wanted someone that I could dress, like you, Kellie!” Nicole said, and Savannah agreed.
We looked through my jewelry stash and couldn’t find anything, so I knocked on the adjoining door and Katie opened it up. “Hey, Kellie! Wow…cute dress! Is it for Rupert?” I had already told her at the photo shoot about Rupert, as well as Bonnie and Emma. Bonnie and Emma were out shopping, but Katie was also going on a date with Dan that night, so she had come back to the hotel to get ready. “Thanks, you look great, too!” I said, referring to the pretty red jersey dress she had on, “but I can’t pick out any good jewelry to wear with it! Can I borrow something of yours?” Katie let us in and we looked through her jewelry, but I still couldn’t find anything that looked right. “I know!” Katie said finally, “wear that brown cocktail ring you wore to the London premiere! It can give a really cool vintage touch, I bet.”
I thanked Katie and left her to finish getting ready for her own date, while I tried on the cocktail ring, which, to my surprise, really did look great with the dress. I put on a little bit of subtle makeup and then asked the girls what I should do with my hair. “I say you keep it down and curly, especially since you just got it done—it’ll look awesome!”
I let my hair down and put it into curlers for soft, voluptuous curls, which would frame my face. An hour later, I let the curls out and finger-combed them to smooth them out. Rupert would be arriving any minute, so I re-applied my lip gloss and then filled a gold leather clutch with the things I needed for the evening. There was a knock on the door and Savannah opened it up. “Hello, Rupert! Nice to see you again,” She said, having already met him a few days before. “Hi, Savannah, nice to see you too. Are you excited for the premiere tomorrow?” he asked politely. They talked for a few moments until I was finished getting ready and came out to the main room.
Rupert smiled and said, “Hi…wow, you look…you look beautiful.” He stuttered, and I blushed a little. I said goodbye to Nicole and Savannah and we closed the door and walked in silence to the elevator. When we got on, Rupert cleared his throat, “I was thinking we could go to this sushi restaurant my friend told me about…it’s just down the street.” The bell in the elevator made a little ding! and the doors opened up to the large, marble-floor lobby.
We arrived at a small, hole-in-the-wall sushi restaurant twenty minutes later, the traffic holding us back for ten of those minutes. Rupert climbed out of the taxi and came around to my side to help me out. He had already made reservations, so we were brought straight back to our table and given menus. “Your hair looks really nice, Kellie…did you just get it done or something? It wasn’t like that this morning!” Rupert said with a little laugh. I told him that I had decided to dye it back for a while and had it done that afternoon. We talked a bit more and our waitress came around to take our order. “Erm…well, I haven’t actually been looking at the menu…but I’ve never had sushi before, so I don’t know what I’m doing. Can you help me choose something, Kellie?”
With a little laugh, I suggested that we get a lot of different things and share, so we ordered four different types of sushi and had a little bit of everything. While we were eating and talking about excitement for the upcoming premieres, Rupert brought up the subject of the press, which was good, as I was a bit too nervous to bring it up myself. “So, um, I hope it’s not awkward to talk about this, but I was thinking…when do you want to…go public with our relationship? I mean, to the press and everything?” we both gave nervous glances and I couldn’t help but giggle a little. “Well, I was talking to Katie earlier today, at the photo shoot, and she and Dan are revealing their relationship at the premiere tomorrow, so I think it would be best if we kept ours quiet tomorrow. After all, they deserve the spotlight for the evening, it’s a big thing. But maybe…we should do it in France! How romantic!” I said, getting a little carried away. Rupert just smiled and said, “That’s a perfect idea. We’ll reveal it at the premiere in Paris. So…I guess we’ll have to keep it discreet tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so…and in L.A. But Savannah and Nicole already know about it, obviously, and would you mind terribly if I tell my friends in LA? I’ve got three more friends going to the premiere there from Phoenix.” Rupert said that would be completely okay with him, and we decided that it would be okay to tell the rest of the cast. When dinner was over, Rupert paid and we went to the street, where the weather was perfect—it was a clear, starry evening and there was a warm breeze. Rupert hailed a cab and I expected to just be taken back to my hotel, but he told the driver to take us to Coney Island. “I thought we could go hang out there for a while, If you don’t mind.” Rupert suggested as the driver pulled out into the busy street and drove towards the island.
The next two hours were all kinds of fun, as we went to the carnival there and rode the Ferris wheel, carousel, and roller coasters and then played games at the entertainment stands. Finally, at a quarter past ten, Rupert looked at his watch and said, “Wow! It’s getting late, I guess I should take you home…after all, big day tomorrow, huh?” We rode the ferry from Coney to Brooklyn and took a taxi back to my hotel. Rupert asked the cabby to wait a moment while he walked me up to the front door of the hotel. “I guess this should be discreet, as we’re a secret right now…” he said, and then looked around to be sure that nobody but the doorman was around. Then he leaned in and kissed me. Time seemed to stop, and for all I knew we stood there for a hundred years, our lips locked in perfect harmony.
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“Kellie! Wake up, today’s the premiere!” Savannah and Nicole’s voices woke me up at 8 the next morning. I stretched in bed and then pulled the covers back and slipped out of bed. Savannah had ordered room service, so we sat around the table eating pancakes and sausage, and washing it down with orange juice. I told them about the date, and the plan to reveal it all at the Paris premiere, so they would need to keep it quiet for the time being. They agreed that it was best to let Katie and Dan reveal the relationship first and not steal the thunder.
We had just started to make plans for the day when there was a knock on the door. I opened it up and my parents were standing on the other side. “Good morning!” my mom said cheerfully as I let them in. “We have a surprise for you ladies, as it’s the day of the premiere! We’re treating all three of you to a spa day—facials, waxing, manicures, and pedicures.” My mom said, and my dad added, “And remember how we told you girls to leave the hair and makeup stuff to us? Well, we’ve hired people to do it for you before the premiere.” My dad looked as though he had no idea what he was talking about, never being one to care about hair, makeup, and other girly things. “So I’ll go with you ladies while dad goes to find a suit to wear—he still hasn’t picked out what to wear tonight!” my mom said, and we all giggled. My dad said goodbye and left us, adding, “see you later, girls!” as he went out the door.
I quickly showered and dressed in denim Bermuda shorts with a lacy white tank top and white eyelet flats. I put my hair up in a ponytail and grabbed my new favorite purse, a chocolate brown leather Coach tote that I had bought for $800 the day before we came to New York. Everyone else was already ready, so we set out and caught a cab, all four of us squished in uncomfortably, but unwilling to pay for two taxis (amazing how cheap I could be for making a ton of money for each movie I signed to!) and rode to the prestigious spa my parents had chosen for our spa day.
Three hours later we all had freshly manicured and pedicured nails—mine in a dull silver on both my fingers and toes—as well as clean, blemish-free skin thanks to the facials and silky-smooth, fresh-waxed legs. We emerged from the trendy spa and went to get lunch at a little burger joint around the corner. My mom called my dad as we finished eating and we caught a cab to meet him at Saks Fifth Avenue, where he was still contemplating what he should buy.
“I don’t know much about what’s in, so what should I wear under this suit?” My dad asked, pointing to a crisp black suit hanging in his fitting room. We told him to wait in the room and journeyed out to the men’s formalwear department to find a nice shirt. We picked out a few, and eventually, after he tried each one on with the suit, we decided on a clean-cut maroon button-down.
“So, when are we going to meet Rupert?” my mom asked on the way back to the hotel—Savannah and Nicole had shared a cab and I was riding with my parents. I had told them about Rupert the day before when he had asked me out, but they had plans to go out to dinner, so they weren’t around to meet him when he came. “You’ll meet him at the premiere tonight, I won’t be able to see him before that. But keep it quiet—the only people who know are Savannah, Nicole, and some close friends on the cast. We’re not announcing it until the Paris premiere.” I thought it a bit awkward to be talking about this with my parents—with Derek it had simply been going to dinner and on dates, and they had never met Robert in person. But now I was dating a famous actor and not only did we have the awkwardness of a new relationship, but we also had to manage the media frenzy and paparazzi and it seemed difficult to keep quiet what I wanted to shout out from the rooftops.
We went back to the hotel and got our outfits for the premiere, and then said goodbye to my parents, who would be getting ready at the hotel—I would be coming back to pick them up in my limo before going to the premiere. There was a car hired by WB to pick the three of us up, and it took us to the prestigious salon where my parents had made our prepaid appointments. We were brought back to the makeup department where they began to give us makeovers.
Two hours later we were made up with great hair and makeup—my hair was pulled half-back in an ornate Swarovski crystal decorated clip, the other half down in perfect wavy curls. We were led to the dressing room made up for us, and we began to change into our outfits. Nicole had on her gorgeous cream dress and was having difficulty getting her shoes on, hopping around on one foot as she did so. I slipped on the perfect black sparkly tulle Ralph Lauren dress—strapless and a-line so that it fit perfectly and made my body look fabulous—and the black Hollywould heels as Nicole helped Savannah zip up her vintage confection. When we were all ready—our hair fixed and our clutches in hand—we thanked the salon owner, who had been especially gracious to us, and blushed at the many compliments and approving looks they received from the tough New York fashionistas. Outside, a limo was waiting, followed by a sleek black car. I hugged Savannah and Nicole before they got into the car—I had made sure Molly hired a car especially for them, since she had refused to let us all ride in the same limo—and then climbed into the back seat of my limo. Their car followed to the hotel, where my parents were waiting outside looking absolutely fabulous. My dad had on his trendy suit and a huge smile; my mom wore a beautiful sequined black v-neck blouse over slim black pants with strappy black stilettos. It was the perfect sophisticated and fashionable outfit. The doorman rushed over and opened the door for them, and they climbed in next to me.
“Oh, Kellie, look at you!” My mom exclaimed the moment they were both safely inside the car and we were once again on the road. “Me? Mom, look at you! You look beautiful!” She tugged slightly at the sequined top. “So you don’t think it’s too much black?” she asked, fixing an upturned sequin and brushing a hair from her pants.
“No way! It’s sophisticated, and you look great! You look rich, actually!” This was no surprise, though, as since I had begun filming, my money had mostly gone towards the family, and I had no problem letting my parents use it—after all, it was they who got me into this. They bought a nicer house and a dependable car, but refused to spend any more of my money.
We pulled up to the premiere and screaming fans waited for us. A kind old man in a tux was waiting to open the door the moment we stopped, and when he did so, my dad climbed out, then helped my mom out, and then reached back for my hand. I was utterly surprised to hear the screams grow from extremely loud to deafening. I heard my name shouted from every direction, and I was overwhelmed trying to decide where to start. Molly was standing by in a very surprisingly trendy black dress with tiny white polka dots and a low v-neck. She looked more dressed up than I had ever seen her, complete with great stilettos. “Hi, Molly! You look great!” I said as she approached, and she thanked me and then led me towards the crowd of fans to sign autographs. Nicole, Savannah, and my parents were standing to the side waiting.
After signing many autographs, receiving kind compliments from fans, and even hearing one marriage proposal, Molly led me to down the red carpet to the press corner. I answered questions, and to my disappointment there were still many about Robert, but most seemed to have gotten the picture after the last premiere—many shouted, “Kellie, we saw Robert storming out of the premiere before the movie even began in London. Did you have a fight? Are you together any more?” I didn’t care that the press were having a field day, all I cared was that they knew we weren’t together. I audibly answered, “No, we’re no longer together.” And then moved on to the next question.
I was finally reunited with my parents and Savannah and Nicole at the end of the carpet, and Molly allowed a few photos of me with my parents as well as with Savannah and Nicole before ushering us inside. I immediately spotted Rupert and, when our eyes met, we both smiled across the room. My parents went to get champagne, so I brought Savannah and Nicole around to introduce them to various people—so far they had only met Bonnie, Katie, Emma, Molly, and Rupert. I introduced them to Dan, and as we all chatted, I had to step on Nicole’s foot—not too hard as I was wearing heels and hers were open-toe at the front—to get her to wipe the star-struck look off her face. Dan seemed to take to them well, and said that he looked forward to talking to them more at the after-party when a few friends approached and pulled him away.
Nicole’s mouth dropped when he walked away. “I just carried on a civilized conversation with Daniel Radcliffe!” she whispered giddily. “I’m surprised I didn’t just snog him on the spot!” we all laughed at that and went to find more people. I introduced them to Matthew Lewis and Devon Murray, and then brought them to Tom Felton, where both of them looked ready to pounce him for a quick snog. I held back laughter as they talked and, every time Tom looked away, Savannah shot me an excited and love-struck look. Tom seemed to enjoy talking to Savannah, which was definitely something that she didn’t mind, so we waited with her until my parents rejoined us.
“So,” my mom whispered, “How about introducing us to your boyfriend?” I blushed and agreed, so I excused myself and left Savannah, Nicole, and Tom to chat. I spotted Rupert in conversation with an older man, in which the man did all the talking and Rupert smiled and nodded along, though I could tell that he was bored out of his mind. I swooped in and said, “Oh, hey Rupert! Sorry to interrupt, but my parents wanted to meet you.” I tried to keep my voice as casual as possible until the man got the hint and finished their conversation.
When we were sure there was nobody around us listening, he said, “Thanks so much—he was in the process of explaining how exactly Olive Trees grow olives.” With a laugh. I introduced him to my parents, and they caught on quickly. While he and my mom talked for a minute, my dad whispered in my ear, “I like him. Good choice.” And I smiled, happy that my parents agreed.
My parents once again excused themselves and left me and Rupert talking. We pretended to be having a casual conversation, but really Rupert was saying, “Wow…you look beautiful. Absolutely…amazing.” I smiled and blushed, then returned the compliment—he looked fab in a dark teal velvet jacket over a light blue t-shirt and casual jeans with Chucks. He always had the perfect combination of casual-meets-red carpet, and I loved it. “We walked along, trying to find Savannah and Nicole, and Rupert said, “I wish I could hold your hand right now. I wish we could just tell everybody…but it won’t be too long, right?”
I was just reassuring Rupert that we only had to hide it for another week and a half when we found Savannah and Nicole. Savannah was deep in conversation with Tom, while Nicole was talking with a cute boy I had never seen before. We joined them and all began talking together, and Nicole introduced the boy as John Parker, who was apparently an old friend of hers from elementary school, and it was incredibly ironic that she had run into him 1800 miles away from their homes at a movie premiere. However, she seemed to find this incredibly convenient. When we had a moment alone later, she explained that she had had a tremendous crush on him in 5th grade, and it was starting to come back.
After many promotional photos—a few of which Dan and Katie were able to hold hands in, or put their arms around each other—we made our way into the immense theatre and found our seats. Unfortunately, I was sitting one row behind Rupert, who was seated with Dan, in a sleek suit, and Emma, in the dark floral Lacroix dress. I had Nicole and Savannah on one side, my parents on the other. Next to Savannah was Katie, who was also wearing a Ralph Lauren piece—a white tulle halter with incredible gold embellishment all over—we had posed in many a picture together flaunting our Lauren styles; next to her was Bonnie, in the pretty strapless ivory Diane von Furstenberg dress with the black floral beading and raw-satin Kate Spade heels.
Katie also seemed to find the seating arrangement unamiable, and she noted to me in a secretive whisper (crouching down in front of my seat to tell me before the movie began) “When you and Rupert do this, make sure to tell Molly to have the two of you seated together. It’s bound to be a lot nicer.” She said, laughing a bit. As she started back to her seat, Dan turned around and took her hand, pulled her down towards him, and planted a big kiss on her lips, which sent the guests around us chattering excitedly.
The movie was once again exciting, and now I was slightly more accustomed to seeing my face enlarged on screen, but it still gave me a funny tingling feeling of excitement and nervousness (of how people were judging my acting) in my stomach, though it was not something I wished to go away. When it was over, I linked arms with Savannah and Nicole, who were linked with Bonnie and Katie on either side, and we made our way out of the theatre, which proved tricky, being a wall of formally-clad girls moving through a big crowd.
We left and this time, I convinced Molly to let Nicole and Savannah come in the limo as well, and went to the after party. My parents stayed for a while sipping wine and dancing, and then they came over, gave me a kiss on the top of my head, and said, “We’re going back to the hotel, we’ll see you ladies in the morning. Oh, and you have no curfew.” My dad added with a wink.
We all partied a bit, drinking pop and sparkling cider and eating the food available, meeting various lucky fans who had received passes into the party and taking pictures with them. When things slowed down and the family people began to leave, we stayed and talked and laughed. It was a whole table—or rather, three put together—with me, Savannah, Nicole, Tom, John Parker, Katie, Bonnie, Dan, Emma, Rupert, Matthew, and Devon. Rupert and I were sitting together, though still not completely open with our relationship, as some people around us still didn’t know about us. Tom had taken a seat next to Savannah, and I noticed a sparkle in his eyes I had never seen before. John was sitting close to Nicole and they were reminiscing in all the memories they had together of elementary school.
I surveyed the table—Tom and Savannah, as well as John and Nicole, were flirting; Katie and Dan were holding hands, and Katie would rest her head on his shoulder once in a while. I turned to Rupert and whispered with a giggle, “I think tonight is like, couple’s night or something.” He looked around the table and let out a laugh, agreeing.
By the end of the night, Tom had asked for Savannah’s number—and was very excited to hear that she would also be at the LA premiere. John had exchanged numbers with Nicole and told her that when they got back to Phoenix, he wanted to get together with her. The party was completely gone, and even Matthew and Devon had left. Bonnie called her boyfriend James up and talked with him for a while, being 8 in the morning in England as it was 2 in New York. Rupert took my hand, finally feeling free enough to do so, and led me out to the empty dance floor. There was confetti and balloons everywhere on the floor, and there was slow music playing, so he wrapped his arms around me and we slow danced for a while. When we were finished, he kissed me and then held my hand the rest of the night.
As we all left the party together, Rupert wrapped his arm around me to keep me warm. “You know, I can’t wait for the LA after party.” He said with a laugh. “Karaoke, that’s gonna be great.” I laughed nervously, but Rupert reminded me that I had performed beautifully on national television, doing it at a party in front of a lot less people wouldn’t be as bad. “Yeah, but it’s going to be broadcast worldwide! Everybody’ll be watching it!”
“Well, it’s not like all of your fans didn’t download the TRL show and watch it a hundred times anyways, no matter where in the world they are.” He said, and I realized it was true. The limos lined up outside, and as we approached the door we could see paparazzi waiting for us to exit. “Ah, well, I guess we have to separate now.” Rupert said, taking his arm back and smiling before engaging in a conversation with Tom. I walked along with my friends, smiling wider than I had in a long time. Her I was, a semi-celebrity—yes, celebrity!—and I had just had an amazingly fun night. I wished every night could be like that, but instead I just felt lucky to have such great friends. As I waited for Nicole and Savannah to get into the limo, I looked over to Rupert, who was just about to get in, but he met my eyes, smiled, and mouthed, “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
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“So, Kellie, how was the after party?” my mom asked the next day as we sat on a plane from New York to Phoenix. I was going home for two days before flying to LA for the premiere. My parents and sister Megan were coming with, as well as a few of my friends—Savannah and Nicole, as well as Karigan, Katie, and Jenny. I told my mom about the party and then closed my eyes and went to sleep. Four hours later I woke up—having gotten little sleep—I got to the hotel at 2:45, was asleep by 3:10, and had to wake up at 8 to catch our flight. We were just about to make the final descent to the runway, so I shoved my magazine and iPod back into the tote I had carried on and waited until we could finally get off the stuffy, crowded plane.
Megan was waiting to pick us up at the airport, so we found our luggage in the claim and she helped us pack it in the trunk before we left. The new house was still a bit unfamiliar to me, having only lived in it for a month before flying to London to film, and another few weeks at the beginning of the summer during the break between filming and promotion. However, I brought my luggage upstairs into my new bedroom, which still contained my old bed, dressers, desk, and bookshelf. I hung up some clothes in the walk-in closet and then curled up on my bed and got on the phone to call some friends.
I called Nicole, Savannah, Katie, Katelyn, and Karigan and we decided to go bowling later that night, something we used to do all the time before I left. I took a shower and put on a black deep v-neck tee with a pin tucked neckline over a white tank top with distressed denim Bermuda shorts from Old Navy and some simple black espadrille beaded flip-flops. Just as I was about to straighten my hair, I heard the doorbell ring. I went to the door and a UPS man handed over a package with my name on it. After signing for it, I thanked him and closed the door, and then quickly opened it, curious about what could be inside.
When I opened the package, there was a note with a header that read “TEEN VOGUE” explaining that this was an early print of the magazine, which would be released in the next week. I tossed the letter on the table and then pulled out the magazine—a very pretty close-up of me in the purple dress took up the front cover—and flipped to the table of contents. I looked through it and found the words Cover Story: Kellie Holt’s rise to fame...page 63 and immediately went to that page. The first page showed me in the tulle Vera Wang dress leaning my back against the railing of the Ritz balcony. I was amazed—I looked elegant and refined. The caption on the page read, “Witchy Woman: Kellie casts spells with her charming personality. Dress, Vera Wang $285; Shoes, Prada $416.” I laughed at the cheesy pun and then began to read the article.
“Kellie Holt is 17 years old. She’s tall, slim, and her face is covered in a plethora of freckles that would make any girl jealous. Her natural maple-brown hair is thick and straight, and boasts natural highlights (she says she’s acquired them from six years in the Arizona sun) ranging from golden-blonde to auburn, though it has been dyed blonde and permed for her role as Luna Lovegood. When she enters Le Café Petite she is wearing a pink blazer, jeans, and flats. Her hair is down and the wavy curls fall past her shoulders as she greets me with a warm smile and a handshake.” I was flattered by the description, and the article got even better—Anne Kimball had been completely flattering in the descriptions and brought out the best points I had made. I was glad she hadn’t twisted my words. I flipped the page and there was the picture of me sitting on the edge of the bed in the cowboy hat, and in a pretty pink and blue script it said, “That Girl is a Cowboy” which I happened to recognize from a Garth Brooks song. Across from that page were the questions posed for me from fans and my answers:
1. In what ways do you think you and your life have changed since being cast as Luna?
— Kellie, 11
Kellie Holt: Well, I was 16 when I was cast, so back home I had begun doing more on my own—I had my first job as a bag girl at a grocery store and I was driving on my own, so I was beginning to see how it was to do things for myself. Now, being an actress, it’s not quite as easy as I thought—I have to put a lot of hard work into studying the script, remembering my lines, and figuring out how to deliver them so I don’t just seem like I’m standing in front of a camera reciting lines, but I’m actually in character. I’ve definitely changed in that way—really focusing on my goals and carrying them out. I’m sure when I return home between filming it’ll help me in school, too!
2. Who is your role model?
— Queen, 14
Kellie Holt: I’d have to say Nicole Kidman. She’s a fantastic actress on screen, and she fits into many different roles, but I also respect her off screen. On the red carpet, or even out in public being followed by paparazzi, she’s always so proper, so collected and confident. I hope that once I go out on the red carpet, I’ll have some similar qualities…or at least, I’ll be working hard to get to that point someday!
3. When you’re not filming, what does your average day consist of?
— Ashley, 15
Kellie Holt: Life at home is pretty much the same now as it was before I began acting. It’s basically the schedule of the average 16-year-old girl: School, homework, computer, hanging out with friends, shopping, school sports, concerts; your basic stuff. It’s not as if I sit around going “Hmm, what premiere should I go to this week?” I do hope to premieres on my time off, but not many—besides, living in Arizona doesn’t give me much variety, so it’ll mostly be in London, or maybe LA.
4. The Harry Potter movies have permitted you to visit many different countries. What are some of the countries that you have not yet visited and would like to visit?
— Crystal, 14
Kellie Holt: I love the countries that I’ve visited, but I really, really want to travel a lot. I’d love to visit Spain—I speak nearly fluent Spanish, so that would be a ton of fun!—Italy (The art—oh my!) and Egypt, and I’d love to travel to Prague some day! I want to see if it’s as beautiful as everyone says, which I’m sure it is.
5. Have there ever been any pranks pulled on [the Harry Potter] set? If so, by who and were you ever the victim of any of them?
—Liz, 18
Kellie Holt: There’s a tradition, I guess, on the set where the first day of filming, the ‘regulars’ play a mass prank on all the new people. So, being new to the set, I was a victim. It was quite funny, really, and very particular and well played-out. I don’t know how they had the time to figure it all out; I’ve been invited to plan the prank on the ‘new guys’ on the Half-Blood Prince set, so that should be fun.
6. What’s fun about being one of only four girls in the [Harry Potter] group of friends?
— Kehlyn, 11
Kellie Holt: It’s great working with Katie, Emma, and Bonnie, because they’re all great fun. Since we’re such a small group of girls, we’ve really become great friends and do all kinds of things together. The best part, I think, is when we all start talking about clothes, shopping, and all of your basic girly conversation topics, and the boys just kind of stare at us with this blank look, like ‘what in the world are they talking about?’ It gives us a great laugh. But it’s not just the four of us, either. There’s Andrea Michaels, who plays Lavender Brown; Tiana Benjamin who plays Angelina Johnson; Shefali Chowdhurry and Afshan Azhad who play Parvati and Padma Patil.
7. What is your favorite part of the actual process of acting?
— Savannah, 13
Kellie Holt: I love the personality. I love taking my lines, reading into them, figuring out exactly what’s going on, and just deciding what my facial expressions should be throughout the scene, what tone of voice I should use, it’s really quite fun to go through it and analyze the parts, and I feel it helps me act better, too. I used to do it when we read Shakespeare in English and sophomore year when we got to act out parts of Macbeth, but now I get to do it for a living!
8. If you weren't acting, what sort of job would you like to do when you've finished school?
— Manon, 15
Kellie Holt: I’ve always wanted to be either a photographer or a Spanish teacher. I’ve been taking pictures my whole life and now I’ve developed a sort of personality to my photography—plus, I take random pictures with my friends all the time. I’ve been taking Spanish classes for 5 years now and I’m nearly fluent, and I love Spanish culture, especially Mexico. I just love the language and I’d love to be able to pass it on to people.
9. What do you want to study?
— Georgina, 15
Kellie Holt: Photography, culture of Spanish-speaking countries, and I’ve always desired to take a history of fashion class.
10. What is your dearest possession?
— Niamh, 16
Kellie Holt: I have this small teddy bear, which belonged to my sister, Allison, who passed away before I was born. It’s really important to me, because though I never knew her, she was still my sister and I love her. In fact, when I’m older if I have a daughter I’d really like to name her after my sister.
11. Do you ever feel the pressure to be thin or look a certain way because you're famous?
— Megan, 16
Kellie Holt: I think being in the public eye, with the attention of media and fans and everything, there’s always some sort of pressure to be just like everyone else. However, I see all these girls that are stick-thin and barely skin-and-bones. I know they feel attractive that way, but to me, that’s shapeless, and I’d rather be more than just a stick of gum. I’m fit, but I don’t feel a pressure to lose any more weight, and I’m glad.
12. How do you deal with stress? Do you have an outlet that helps you escape?
— Tyler, 17
Kellie Holt: Writing. I’ve always loved to write, I can remember writing in 2nd grade about a baby girl that couldn’t talk, but she had opinions about everything and desired to express them through speech. It was quite strange, but that was, ultimately, the beginning of my adoration for writing. I write short stories usually, and they vary from deep, meaningful tales to funny, light-hearted ones that make you smile. I love to go through things I’ve written in the past, too, just to see how my style of writing, my grammar--everything, really--has changed.
13. In the next few years what do you see yourself doing? Do you want to continue on doing Harry Potter or do you want to do different things?
— Aryans, 12
Kellie Holt: Well, I know I’m doing the 6th movie (Half-Blood Prince) but after that, since the seventh book isn’t yet out, I’ve no idea whether Luna is even in it or not. If she is, though, I would love to return for that movie, I guess we’ll just have to see! As for acting elsewhere, I’ve had an offer for another movie, but unfortunately it was right at the time I was filming Order so I wasn’t able to do that. I don’t think I’ll have a huge part in Half-Blood Prince, though, so really if an offer comes around and I like it, I’d love to take on another film!
14. Which actor or actress would you most like to work with, and why?
— Rob, 16
Kellie Holt: I would love to work with Tom Hanks. He’s such a fantastic actor, and if something came up where I could appear in a film with him, that would be amazing. I’d also love to work with Liv Tyler or Zhiyi Zang. As for people my age, Amanda Bynes is top on my list of people I’d like to work with—she’s a respectable actress and from what I’ve seen, she’d probably be a lot of fun to have on set, too.
15. Which Harry Potter actor or actress are you the closest with? What do you do together?
—Katherine, 12
Kellie Holt: I guess I hang out most with Katie Leung and Bonnie Wright. Bonnie’s a year younger than me and Katie’s two years older than me, but when we’re together you can hardly tell the age difference. Katie also has a flat in London that she lives in during filming, so we’re close by and get together a lot. The three of us go shopping, see movies, and go out to lunch or dinner a lot. We do a lot with Emma and Andrea a lot too, but Emma’s constantly filming because she has a much larger part than the three of us, and Andrea only filmed for about a month and a half for Order so unfortunately we didn’t have the chance to hang out as much.
16. Who do you think Luna should end up with: Ron, Harry, or Draco?
— Anna, 14
Kellie Holt: Oh, dear, can you imagine Luna with Draco? No way! Really, I think the idea of Ron and Luna is cute, but I would much rather see Ron with Hermione. Luna and Harry? Not really, I’m more of a Ginny-Harry! Funny how I can’t decide. I suppose I’d rather see Luna and Neville—after all, they were both kind of awkward outcasts that were pulled in and befriended by Harry, Ron, and Hermione. I think they’d be an adorable and funny couple.
17. The seventh [Harry Potter] book is nearing. What would you like to happen for Luna?
— Cristina, 17
Kellie Holt: Ooh, that’s tough. I really want to see Luna more in this book than she was in the sixth—not because I portray her, but because she’s one of my favorite characters. I hope she has a part in whatever huge obstacles come up in Harry’s fight to defeat Voldemort. I hope she lives, and she ends up happy, though I know anyone involved will probably be changed very much by what happens.
18. There’ve been rumors of you and Robert Pattinson—that you’re dating—and yet also ones that you and Rupert are dating. Is either of these true? Or is it just another rumor?
--Jamie, 14
Kellie Holt: Robert and I dated shortly, but it wasn’t right for either of us, but all is well between us. As for Rupert, we’re simply very good friends! I suppose there will just always be rumors like that.
19. Will you explain the outfits you’ve chosen for the premieres?
--Maggie, 17
Kellie Holt: Oh, man. I spent so much time shopping for the outfits for the 6 Harry Potter premieres! Therefore, I’m really glad that I have a chance to explain why I chose them! Well, for the London Premiere I wore a metallic gold and maroon polka-dot dress from Moschino. It was the last outfit I purchased, but definitely one of my favorites. What I love about it is that it’s so unique, I knew that there would be no way anybody on the red carpet would be wearing something similar. I picked the Moschino shoes because I didn’t know where to start when it came to finding good shoes for the dress, and they were on the runway together and looked great. I didn’t choose a handbag to go with because the outfit would be too busy, but I did pick out a stunning cognac cocktail ring. For the New York premiere (which, as I write these answers, hasn’t occurred yet) I’ve picked a gorgeous sparkly black tulle strapless dress from Ralph Lauren. I loved it the moment I saw it, and I knew I had to buy it before I even tried it on! The shoes I’ll wear with it are from Hollywould and the clutch is Oscar de la Renta.
On the last page was the picture of me in the garden of the Ritz. I was holding the umbrella up with my left hand, making a sort of jazz-hand pose with my right hand, and my left foot was kicked out. It was a playful pose and I loved it, especially since they had put in the fake rain that looked positively real. Just as I began to actually look through the entire magazine, my cell phone rang with the song “We’re Young and Beautiful” by Carrie Underwood, so I knew it was Rupert.
“Hello, beautiful!” he said the moment I picked up. “I’m at JFK airport waiting for my plane to LA. When are you gonna get there?” “Oh, I’m flying there in two days, I can’t wait. The premiere will be great—and we get to go on Leno and Ellen DeGenres! I can’t wait!” Rupert laughed and in the background I could hear a voice over the intercom announcing that his flight was beginning to board. “Well, they start in the back of coach and work their way up to first class, so I’ve got a few minutes.” He explained. We talked for a bit about how hot Arizona was and my plans for the night, and then first class was called to board, so he said goodbye and we hung up.
My dad came in to tell me that dinner was ready, so I sat down and ate with my parents and then kissed them goodbye and left for the bowling alley. When I got there, Nicole and Savannah were already there waiting, having rode together. “Hey, long time no see!” Savannah joked—they were one row behind us on the same flight that morning. We reserved our lane and messed around in the arcade—Katie, Karigan, and Jenny joined us soon. Our lane opened up shortly after they arrived, so we paid for our bowling shoes—most of us were wearing shorts and therefore looked especially dorky—and went to our lane.
We bowled two games, and I did pretty well in both—I won the first and came in third at the second game. Afterwards, we decided to go hang out at Quail Run, the old elementary school of everybody but me, Katie, and Savannah, which was a common hangout for us as it was right by Jenny’s, Nicole’s, and Karigan’s houses and the playground was awesome. We sat on the swings talking and swinging for a few hours, and then the sprinklers turned on. “Nicole, remember that time we went running through the sprinklers fully clothed here?” I reminded her, and she got an excited look on her face. Without saying anything, we kicked off our shoes, pulled everything out of our pockets and stuck them in our purses, and then went running barefoot through the grass to the sprinklers. We got soaked, and were soon joined by Savannah and Karigan. We had to convince Katie to come with, but they finally gave in and had a blast. Finally, all five of us made an effort to pull Jenny off her swing and into the sprinklers—the same thing had happened the last time we ran through the sprinklers. We ended up laughing and trying to swing dry for the next hour. It was midnight by time we left, and I was feeling very tired, so we said goodbye and I went home.
Two days later I arrived at LAX with my family and friends by my side. There were three cars waiting outside, so Katie and Nicole got in one car with me, My parents and Megan went in their own together, and Savannah, Jenny, and Karigan got in the last car. “So, LA is obviously not as exciting as New York, because I’ve been here a ton of times—but another premiere! I can’t wait, oh my gosh.” Nicole gushed as we pulled away from the airport. “Another? Psh, I haven’t even been to one! I can’t wait—and I can’t believe you get to go to all 6, Kellie! Man, I wish I could travel to all those places!” Katie said with a giggle.
“One day we’ll all go on a trip through Europe together!” I proposed. “And I’ll show you everywhere I get to go for Harry Potter, and everything I’ll be doing!” We all agreed that this was a necessary thing, and talked about everywhere we would go the rest of the way to the hotel. When we got there, there was a guy walking past that looked at me, then did a quick double-take and spun around. “Excuse me…I hate to bother you, but are you…” My parents went ahead of us and I waited for him to ask for my autograph, still very excited by the prospect of fans, but he said, “single? Can I have your number?” I refrained from laughing and said, “No, I’m sorry, I’m not single, but it’s flattering that you asked!” I realized right away that he had no idea who I was—which was really quite nice—when he said, “You look familiar. Do you go to Stanford Prep?” At this point, Nicole, Katie, Savannah, Karigan, and Jenny all burst out laughing. “No, she’s an actress!” Karigan blurted out, and he got a wide-eyed look on his face.
“You’re Kellie Holt! That’s how I recognize you!” he said, stumbling over his words. “So you have a boyfriend? Is it that Cedric guy? That’s what the tabloids said.” He began talking quickly, like a girl dishing out the latest gossip. “Erm, no, he’s not my boyfriend, sorry. Anyways…we’ve got to go check into our hotel. But the premiere’s in two days, you should go hang out at the red carpet. What was your name again?” I said, trying to subtly end the conversation so I could get into the hotel and rest. “Jack Stevenson. Can I have your autograph?”
I signed a piece of paper, the only sign-able thing he could produce from his pockets, and then thanked him for the lovely conversation. “You look really pretty in person, by the way, I mean even prettier than in pictures. I can’t wait to see the movie. And you look good in white!” He said, calling back to me as he backed away, and finally turned and got into his mother’s car. We waited until he drove off and were in complete silence for a moment, not sure what to say. I looked down at my outfit—a white jersey skirt, a thin-fabric brown short-sleeve sweatshirt with three owls (one upside down and looking slightly radioactive) that said “Nobody’s Perfect”, a white headband, a stack of pearl bracelets, and black open-toe flats—and said, “I look good in white?” and with that, we all burst out laughing and didn’t stop until we got halfway to our hotel rooms.
“Hey everybody, we’re back from commercials and tonight I’ve got three very special guests from the set of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix visiting. But first, it’s time to play bad headlines!” Jay Leno’s voice boomed over the speaker as we watched it on the TV in the back of the studio. On one side of me was Rupert, holding my hand and on the other, Dan sat talking on the phone with his mum back in England. I was wearing the cream floaty chiffon BCBG tunic I had picked out for the Japan press conference with brown cropped pants and wooden platform heels. I had just finished recounting the story of the boy we met outside the hotel the day before and now we were waiting to be called on stage. Just then, the door to the waiting room opened and a woman walked in. All right, you can come on out now, Jay will call you out any minute.”
We followed her down a narrow and crowded hallway and waited near the end. I could hear Jay Leno talking again. “All right, now tonight we’ve got three very talented people here from the Harry Potter movies to talk about the movie, which premiered worldwide four days ago and is premiering in LA tomorrow night! Playing Harry Potter himself is Daniel Radcliffe, his friend Ron Weasley played by Rupert Grint, and a new crazy companion of theirs, Luna Lovegood played by Kellie Holt!” with that, the woman gave us a little nudge on our backs and we all walked out together.
Directly after the show—during which Jay informed us that everyone thought Dan and I were together before they found out about Katie (to which I said, “people think every actress in the Harry Potter movies is dating Dan; I guess he’s just a lucky, lucky guy in their minds!” and Dan added, “I’m not that lucky, but I’m pretty sure I prefer dating just Katie rather than Katie, Emma, Kellie, Bonnie, and so on! There would be too many women to handle!” and they went off onto the subject of the newly discovered relationship between Dan and Katie—we were ushered outside to find two limos. Dan got into one, having a meeting with his agent, and Rupert and I went in the other, and were whisked off to the Ellen DeGenres show!
I made a quick change of clothes into dark jeans and a blue and white cloud-print wrap top before we were once again brought onto the set. When we came out, everybody was cheering madly and Ellen was dancing to the music as we walked towards her. She gave us each a welcome hug before we sat down and began talking.
“Wow, it’s great to have you two here today!” She started off, pausing while the audience cheered some more. “I’ve always wanted to have some guests from Harry Potter, so how great is this? You have no idea how excited I am! I mean…my hands are shaking!” I laughed at this and said, “You know, Ellen, I just have to say: When I’m at home in Phoenix, I watch this show every day, so naturally the moment I found out we were booked for the interview, I had this big spaz-out excitement.” Rupert nodded, “I was there…it was a bit scary, really.”
Ellen asked me to do a recreation of the moment for the audience, but I backed out shyly. “Oh, on live TV? I mean…ah! When I did it, I was in the room with Rupert and our agents, that was all! And even the agents thought I was crazy!” but Ellen refused to let me off without a redo. So she stood up and pretended to be Molly, while Rupert was himself watching. “Well, guys,” Ellen said in a mock-voice, “You’re going to the Ellen DeGenres show in LA before the premiere.” And I just let it flow. First I jumped in excitement and shouted, “ELLEN?! I GET TO MEET ELLEN?!” and then did a dance that consisted of jumping in circles. The audience was in hysterics by time I was done, and I was glad they hadn’t thought it was entirely insane of me.
“So, you’ve had a busy past…what is it, two weeks or so?” Ellen started once we were seated in the armchairs once again. “What with all the premieres, interviews, magazine shoots, and everything. It’s your first time doing anything like this, right, Kellie?” “Oh, yeah. I’ve never had such a hectic, busy, and yet extremely fun time. I got actually made the cover of Teen Vogue which was so much fun—it was my first time doing a magazine shoot, before that I’d only ever done the promotional photos. And—oh my gosh—the premieres! They’re such glamour and fun and they’re so exciting, I’ve never experienced anything like that before.”
Eventually we got into questions involving the film and began to explain Dumbledore’s Army and Luna as a character. Before we knew it, our bit was over. “It was great to meet you two!” Ellen said after the show. She walked with us backstage and talked for a bit. In the end, just before we left, she added, “You two are really nice, by the way. You definitely have chemistry on-screen and off. I’ll be at the premiere tomorrow!” and we thanked her for having us on the show and left.
It was finally the day of the premiere. I stood in front of the mirror in the hotel suite Megan and my parents and I were sharing and looked at my reflection. I wore the red lacy strapless Dolce and Gabanna dress with the black velvet Gucci platforms. My hair was pulled into a loose chignon, so that it was the perfect medium between messy and elegant. I put on my silver drop earrings I had picked out a few weeks before with my lipstick red manicured nails, toes matching. Just then, my mom came up behind me and wrapped her arms around me. “Oh, honey, you look absolutely amazing.” I turned around and took in her outfit, then said, “Me? Mom, you look awesome!” She had on a brown and white leaf print dress with beaded straps, a burnt orange cardigan slung over her shoulders, and a bronze hobo clutch.
Mom pulled Megan out of the bedroom for a photo opportunity. Megan looked dazzling in a white chiffon skirt with pink watercolor cherry blossoms, a white tank top, and white strappy sandals. She carried a silver python Calvin Klein wristlet that I bought as one of her birthday gifts—she would be 21 in a few weeks—since she had no idea what purse to carry with it. My dad got out the camera and Megan, my mom, and I got together for a pre-premiere photo.
When we were finished with the mock photo shoot, I went next door and knocked on the door, which was opened by Katie, in a red jersey wrap dress with black peep-toe pumps and her auburn pixie-cut hair looking especially cute. “Hey, oh my gosh! You look great!” She said, and Jenny and Savannah came out at that moment. “Are we leaving soon?” Savannah asked, smoothing a wrinkle out of her perfectly summery yellow-and-orange floral print dress paired with pale gold pumps and a chic tan clutch. Jenny was putting her ID and lipstick into a black embossed leather cylinder clutch that matched her black leather point-toed flats, paired with a great pale blue a-line strapless dress. “You guys look great! And yeah, we’re leaving in like five minutes, the limos just got here.”
They let me in and I could hear Nicole and Karigan laughing in the bedroom. I went in and found Karigan wiping up some silvery powder from the vanity table. “Hey, Kellie! Wow, I love your dress!” She said, and Nicole explained that she had dropped her eye shadow, which had hit the edge of the table and taken a chunk out of it. Karigan was wearing a stunning sleeveless pewter-sequined dress with a loosely tied sheer black sash at her waistline and black pointy-toe pumps. Nicole was wearing a light blue v-neck dress with white lace panels and flutter sleeves. She had wooden wedges with silver twisted strands of leather and a white clutch.
“I love your dresses! You all look so pretty!” I said as Nicole finished applying her eye shadow and Karigan put on some mascara. “So, um, the limos are here so we need to be downstairs in like five minutes, will you be ready?” “Oh! Yeah, I’m ready now, I just had to fix my mascara.” Karigan said, putting the tube into her clutch in case later touch-ups would be needed. They followed me out into the main room, where Savannah, Katie, and Jenny were waiting. We all went into the hall and my parents and Megan met us there.
There was a limo and two black luxury cars waiting in front of the hotel. My parents and Megan climbed into the limo, and I said goodbye for the moment to my friends, who split up into the cars, then climbed into the limo and shut the door.
“Oh…my…gosh!” Megan said, staring out the tinted windows as we pulled up to the theatre. There was an immense red carpet and there were fans everywhere, shouting and waving posters, snapping pictures, and screaming out names. I immediately spotted Emma in the ornate brocade skirt she had showed me back in London. As she moved along the carpet signing autographs, the limo pulled to a stop in front of the carpet and a man moved towards the door and opened it up. My mom and dad climbed out, followed by Megan, and then I stepped out.
When the screaming level raised even more, Megan looked taken aback. “Whoa!” She shouted just so I could hear her, “You have fans! And LOTS of them!” I laughed as the girls joined us. They all stood back as I signed autographs and posed for photos, and at the very end of the carpet they all joined me for a few photos, and then just my parents and Megan posed with me. Finally, after signing a few last autographs, we went inside to the press room where I met up with Katie, Emma, and Bonnie.
Katie was wearing a pale, earth-tone floral chiffon Christian Lacroix dress with pretty velvet flats. Bonnie wore a pale pink embroidered Temperley dress over opaque black tights and black heeled sandals. I introduced the three of them to all of my friends, except for Savannah and Nicole, who they already knew quite well now. Tom walked up and pulled Savannah away for a moment to talk to her. “Oh, I forgot to tell you—you were out all day yesterday, but Tom called Jenny and they went on a date! She said he was really great and he kissed her and everything.” Nicole explained as I watched them walk off, hands clasped fondly together.
I introduced Katie, Karigan, and Jenny to Rupert, who seemed glad to meet them. I had just told them the day before that we were dating, and they got really excited. “I knew it!” Katie had shouted, “You had the hugest crush on him before you even tried out for the part!” Now, Karigan said, “It’s so great to meet you! We were so excited to hear that—“ I squeezed her arm ever so slightly, a reminder that we were still a secret to most people, and Karigan looked around, suddenly noticing a slightly dazed-looking fan staring at us and probably eavesdropping. “—that Kellie got the part, and she always tells us how she just loves filming so much, and she has so many friends on set.” I thanked Karigan for her quick wit with a silent smile, and Rupert also seemed to understand. “Ah, yes, I’m glad Kellie got the part, too, she’s great fun on set.”
We talked for a bit, and the same fan watched all along, standing detached from all groups of chattering girls and famous celebrities. Finally, I turned around and walked over, and she looked incredibly surprised and a bit nervous. “Hi,” I said, holding my hand out. “I’m Kellie.” The girl looked stunned as she shook my hand, but soon loosened up a bit. “I’m Anne Foster. I can’t believe I’m meeting you!” She was wearing a white summery dress with wedges and had a huge smile on her face.
We talked for a while and I gave her an autograph, and then her mother pulled her away to meet Dan. I wandered about, seeing who else was attending and trying to find someone I knew. Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice behind me say, “Look, it’s Kellie Holt!” I turned around and put the animated voice to the face: Ellen DeGenres! She was dressed in grey tweed pants, tan pumps, and a brown long-sleeve top layered over a fuschia one. We talked for a bit and she introduced me to Portia de Rosse, who wore a stunning on-shoulder black dress with a royal purple sash. They decided to find their seats in the theatre and said goodbye, adding “We’ll see you at the after party!” before we were out of sight.
I spotted Nicole Richie in a pretty black cami tucked into a black skirt with a beautiful diamond necklace, opaque black tights, and black patent pumps. She looked elegant and pretty, and I approached to introduce myself. As I was making my way through the crowd, occasionally being stopped by guests for introductions, I noticed that she was talking and laughing with a girl with auburn hair pulled up into an elegant coif. She had on a floor-length gold satin kimono-style dress that I immediately recognized from Gucci. She turned slightly and I suddenly realized it was Lindsay Lohan. Just as I made my way out of the main crowd and towards them, Molly approached me and told me to follow her.
She led me right back the way I had come from, and as I followed her, I noticed that she had a gorgeous outfit on: A black lace skirt, a white satin camisole, and a black fitted blazer with satin open-toe pumps with a pearl clip. “Molly!” I said as we emerged once again from the crowd, “You look great! What’s gotten into you lately?”
Molly seemed timid at first, but then a smile spread across her face and she gushed, “I’m in love! Someone finally noticed me—a new guy at the PR firm—and we’ve been together for a month, it’s been amazing!”
After she finished this explanation, she said, “Anyways, we have to hurry! Gwen has requested to meet you!” and hurried off again. I followed after, saying, “Gwen? You mean Gwen Stefani?”
Finally, Molly stopped next to a very gorgeous Gwen Stefani. She was wearing a red velvet empire-waist dress and her mouth spread into a great smile when she saw me. “Oh, Kellie Holt! I’ve been dying to meet you.” She said, and my mouth must have dropped to the floor when I heard this. “Wait a second...you were dying to meet me?!” I asked in shock, and she nodded with a huge smile. We talked for a bit about everything we could think about—the movie, clothes, our love for ska, and living in London—Gwen, her husband Gavin and their son Kingston split time between LA and London. Finally, a voice came over the intercom announcing that the movie would begin in ten minutes, and I said, “Well, it was great to meet you, I’m so glad you came! I really hope you enjoy the movie…and congratulations on the baby!” And then excused myself to find my friends in the theatre.
I sat with Katie, Karigan, Jenny, Nicole, Savannah, Megan, and my parents on one side of me; and Rupert, Katie, Dan, Emma, Bonnie, and Tom on the other. Quickly, before the movie started, we all moved down one from Savannah and allowed Tom to sit with her. Rupert couldn’t put his arm around me like Tom did with Savannah, so instead he took my hand in his and held it through the whole movie.
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An hour and a half into the exciting after-party—swarming with stars including Lindsay and Nicole, whom I had met a while before—David Heyman stepped onto the stage and pulled out the microphone. “All right, everybody, welcome to the Order of the Phoenix after party! We’ve got a special surprise for you all, and that’s a little bit of karaoke!” everyone cheered and David went on. “We’ve got a few of your very own Harry Potter stars that have volunteered to start out and get you all excited for it. So here comes our first lovely performer, Kellie Holt!”
I realized that I was supposed to be up there, so I quickly set my virgin Pina Colada on the table where my friends and I were sitting and pushed my way up front to the stage. David handed me the microphone and I stepped nervously onto the stage. “Hey, everybody!” I said timidly, trying to warm myself up to the crowd. Suddenly I realized that there was a phenomenal singer—Gwen Stefani—there watching, and my nerves set in. The music to “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood started, though, and I started in singing.
When I finished, everybody was cheering—even, to my delight, Gwen, who was standing near the back—and I thanked them and stepped off the stage. I went back to the table and everybody offered a “Good job” or “That was great!” which made me feel great.
The night was fabulous—I met Amber Tamblyn, who was just as funny and down-to-earth as I had imagined and talked a bit more with Gwen who complimented me on my singing, which caused me to nearly fall out of my seat. As people began to leave, I once again found myself sitting at a table with my friends. My parents had gone back to the hotel at 11, but Megan stayed behind. Katie, Nicole, Karigan, Jenny, and Megan were sitting on the same side of the table as me; Rupert was at the end right next to me, and Katie, Dan, Emma, and Bonnie on the other side. Savannah and Tom had gone off to talk outside—I could tell they wanted to have a relationship but were worried about the long-distance factor of it.
Soon, though, Savannah came prancing in and sat down, suddenly announcing that they had decided to go out, and Savannah would talk to her parents about allowing her to visit later in the summer and over winter break. Tom even offered to pay for her flight, though she was sure her parents wouldn’t mind paying for it themselves. We all talked happily for a while, and then decided that we should go back to our hotel rooms for a bit of sleep. Jenny, Karigan, Katie, Savannah, and Nicole would be leaving at noon the next day—or rather later that day, as it was 1:30 when we left—and I promised to see them off at the airport. My parents and Megan were staying an extra day, but the rest of us were flying to France at 3pm for the premiere, which was the next day.
The next morning I woke up before anyone else. It was 7am, so I ordered a quick room service breakfast of blueberry muffins and fruit and ate a bit before going to make sure the girls were awake. They were, to my surprise, already up, dressed, and eating breakfast. They had all gathered in one room and were eating at the couch watching some Saturday morning kids’ shows. I sat down with them for a while and we watched Hannah Montana for a half hour before finally getting up and cleaning up the hotel room. I went back to my room and packed my stuff; my parents and Megan were up now eating the breakfast I had ordered.
An hour later we all set off for the airport. My parents and Megan looked around at the shops as I said my goodbyes to the girls. We hugged and talked for a bit, and I promised to call and write them as soon as I got back to London after the premieres and promotional tour. I also promised to send a postcard from the three cities I’d be in for the premieres: Tokyo, Paris, and Sydney. They finally waved goodbye one last time as they went through the security checkpoint and turned the corner, now out of sight.
I found my family in a shoe store in LAX and we decided to go get some lunch, as it was now 11:45. We ate at a café and went shopping for a while, until my cell phone rang at 1:45. It was Bonnie, asking me to meet them all at the checkpoint. I hurried to check my luggage and then kissed my parents and hugged Megan goodbye before meeting up with Bonnie, Katie, Rupert, and Daniel. Emma and Tom wouldn’t be able to go to the Paris premiere, so they had already caught their flight back to London earlier in the day.
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14 hours later the private jet that had been chartered by Warner Bros. for our transport landed at the airport in Paris. The weather was perfect, and when we got through the airport to the limo awaiting us, I marveled at the stunning fashionistas and their beautiful French. Even in the outfit I felt fabulous in—light brown plaid cuffed golf pants, a dark blue babydoll top, and pale gold quilted Delman flats—I felt underdressed compared to the women. One woman wore a vintage-style grey tweed flared-skirt suit with oversized shades and perfect hair; another, a flirty ivory satin dress I would only think to wear to a premiere, and here she was wearing it as an every-day outfit to the airport.
Rupert turned just before he climbed into the limo and noticed the awed look on my face. “Hey, beautiful, are you coming with?” He joked, pulling on my hand. “What’s wrong?” I broke my gaze from a beautiful pair of Prada peep-toe platform pumps and shook my head. “Everybody’s so beautiful! I’ve never seen anything like this before.” I said as I allowed him to help me into the limousine. As he sat down and closed the door, he said, “Don’t be silly, none of those women will ever compare to you. They may be pretty, but chances are 10 to 1 they’re not as nice, funny, or genuine as you are.” And with that he kissed me on the cheek.
As Katie and Dan talked and giggled with each other in one corner, I leaned on Rupert’s shoulder as we planned what to do for the premiere, which would actually be that evening, as we had arrived in the early morning. “So, um, should we arrive together and hold hands and everything, or should we go separately and do the same?” I asked, and Rupert suggested that we arrive together. “That way,” he explained, a coy smile on his face, “I don’t have to endure another long red carpet without you by my side.” I reached my head up and kissed him on the chin, the closest to his lips I could reach from my position.
When we arrived at the hotel, Katie and I went to one room and Dan and Rupert to another. It was 7am in France now, and I set the alarm clock to noon and went to sleep, in desperate need of some true beauty sleep before the premiere. When I woke up, I gave myself a mini facial, including eye-gel to get rid of the puffiness from my lack of sleep. Andrea came to our room, having arrived the evening before from London, and the three of us sat together in front of the vanity table doing our makeup for the premiere. I pulled my hair half back into an ornate clip, leaving a few wisps of hair out to frame my face, and let the half-down part curl around my shoulders. I slipped on my black and white lace evening gown and had Katie zip it up for me, and then slid on the shoes and clasped the silver diamond O necklace around my neck.
I touched up my lip gloss and transferred the necessities into my green velvet clutch just as there was a knock on the door. I opened up and there stood Dan, in a nice tux, holding a bouquet of flowers for Katie. I let him in and he found her in the beautiful Burgundy silk Dior dress, with a diagonally ruched bodice and a delicate bow at the bottom of the ruching. Just as I turned to close the door, I saw Rupert standing in the doorway. He looked handsome in black slacks, a white polo, and a sleek dark denim blazer. “Wow…” I stuttered as he kissed my hand, “You look hot!”
When we were all ready—Andrea dressed in a pretty floral corseted D&G dress—we went down to the street where three chic French cars awaited us. Rupert and I got into the first, followed by Katie and Dan in the second and Andrea in the last. As we rode along, Rupert squeezed my hand and whispered reassurances that everything would work out perfectly—and I trusted him completely.
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Rupert and I stepped out of the car, unveiling to the fans the mystery of who was behind the darkened windows. When Rupert clasped my hand in his, the cheers of fans broke out and we made our way down the expanse of lush carpet. There it began, the media frenzy surrounding our relationship that would last for a long time.
The next day I woke up and dressed in a light blue blouse with darker blue lace trim, a light blue a-line skirt with brown leaf print, and brown leather wood-platform pumps. I pulled my hair back into a loose ponytail and grabbed my brown leather tote just as a knock came from the other side of the door. Katie and Andrea were still asleep in the other room, so I took quiet steps across the tile to assure that I wouldn’t wake them up on my way out. I opened up the door and Rupert was standing in the hall in a t-shirt and jeans waiting for me.
“Hey, beautiful.” He said, kissing my cheek as I closed the hotel room door behind me. He took my hand and as we walked down the hall, he gave me an early warning. “Um, so just so you know there are paparazzi outside…they seem to be amazed by the fact that we’re dating, it’s strange really. They didn’t act this crazy with Katie and Dan…”
Sure enough, when we walked through the expansive hotel lobby, I could see photographers waiting outside, ready to snap photos the moment we walked outside. “I’ve got a cab waiting for us, so we’ll get through quick enough, but if you want we can go through the back.” Rupert offered, but I told him I would be okay with a few paparazzi, as long as they didn’t follow us around. We walked outside and through the chattering, photo-snapping paparazzi and straight into the cab awaiting.
“où souhaitez-vous aller, monsieur?” the cab driver asked. Where do you want to go, sir? And Rupert replied, in an accurate French accent, “Au Louvre, svp.” To the Louvre, please. As we drove away, the paparazzi gathered around the car once more to take pictures of the two of us sitting inside. “Why would they want pictures of us in a cab, anyway? It’s hardly exciting.” I mentioned as the driver turned sharply on a corner. “Ah, I guess they just think people will find that interesting, but I agree…I don’t see how.”
When we arrived at the street in front of the Louvre, Rupert asked the driver to drop us off in front. We got out and began walking towards the expansive glass pyramid that marked the entrance to the beautiful museum. A girl that was about my age and wearing a tan satin dress with a leather waist-cinching belt and Burberry multi-color check pumps with a green croc heel ran up to us with the most grace I’ve ever seen in a girl running in heels. “Est-ce que, vous m'excusez êtes Rupert Grint et Kellie Holt? Ah, je suis un ventilateur si énorme!” she said in airy, breathless French. Rupert smiled and shook her hand, replying, “Oui, nous sommes ! Il fait beau de vous rencontrer, ce qui est votre nom?” and I stood by his side, still utterly confused—I was fluent in Spanish, but had never taken a single French class.
“She said, ‘excuse me, are you Rupert Grint and Kellie Holt? Oh, I’m such a huge fan’ and I told her we are and asked her name.” Rupert explained when he saw the puzzled look on my face. I racked my brain for what little French I had picked up from hearing conversations between a few friends in Arizona that took French classes as well as those between Fleur and her friends, and said, “Bonjour, je suis Kellie.” And shook her hand. “Je Suis Michelle” she replied and, after we each signed a copy of Half-Blood Prince she carried in her purse, she thanked us and returned to her family, who were waiting nearby.
“All right, this isn’t fair,” I joked as we walked through the colossal entrance of the glass-paned pyramid and into the Louvre. “Find me someone that speaks Spanish!” We spent the next four hours looking through the museum, though we saw only a small fraction of the immense amount of art it had to offer. When we finally called it a day in there, it was nearing lunch time, so we called a cab and went to a little café near the Eiffel Tower. While we were eating, three paparazzi spotted us inside and began taking pictures through the café windows, until finally the upset hostess pulled the blinds on them.
As we paid, Rupert said, “Merci, et je suis désolé pour le dérangement avec les photographes” and the woman was quick to forgive us, as soon as we gave her autographs for her grandkids. We walked out and found ourselves amidst the crowd of paparazzi, which seemed to have grown since the hostess had shut them out. Rupert took my hand and we walked ahead of them, though they followed us all the way across the large plaza to the Eiffel Tower.
Rupert and I spent the next hour and a half journeying up the tower and admiring the breathtaking view from the top. We finally made our way down as the sun began to set, and went to an amazing five-star restaurant for dinner. When the evening was over, Rupert kissed me just outside the door of my hotel room, said goodnight, and left. I walked inside, where Katie was asleep on the couch with Only You playing in French on the TV. I shut the TV off and covered Katie with a blanket, then washed my face, changed into my pajamas, and climbed into bed. It had been a long and amazing day, and I wanted to tell Katie all about it—but alas, we had an early plane to catch and I was very tired, so it would have to wait until the morning.
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“Hey, Rupert, you’ll never believe what I got in the post this morning!” I waved a crisp envelope in the air as I approached Rupert in the Hotel lobby. “Hmm, would it happen to be an invitation to the Queen’s birthday party?” he asked, a cunning smile spreading across his face. I pulled out of the envelope an elegant invitation with gold script. “How did you know?” I asked and, with a flourish, Rupert pulled out an identical envelope with his name on it. “I guess we won’t be needing guests after all,” He said with a laugh.
Emma and I had just arrived in the lobby after a run-through of our schedule for the next day and a half in Japan, and Rupert was reading his HBP script on a leather armchair waiting for us. “We’d better get up to our rooms and change for the shows!” Emma suggested, pointing up at the big clock behind the front desk. We all rode the elevator to the 7th floor and split up to our separate hotel rooms. I set my purse down and pulled the outfit I had picked out earlier off the hanger and changed into it. When I left my room, I was wearing a tan thin-knit embellished sweater with a key-hole neckline over light denim jeans and peep-toe linen slingbacks with green croc embossed leather trim.
After three exhausting TV appearances—in which we spoke entirely in English and the Japanese hosts spoke in Japanese with translators by our sides describing every word they said—and a delicious Sushi dinner with Rupert and Emma, I kissed Rupert goodnight and went into my hotel room, fully ready for a good night’s sleep. I was glad Molly had asked for the rooms with regular beds, because most of the hotel rooms held futons instead, and I wasn’t looking forward to sleeping on a mat.
The next morning I awoke stretching my arms and legs out with a happy sigh. I had gotten plenty of sleep and was now ready for the premiere, which would be starting in a few hours. I pulled my dress and coat out of the closet and hung them on the door hanger, then jumped in the shower. I would be doing my own hair and makeup for this premiere, so I had a lot of work in only a little time. When I got out of the shower, I put on a plain white tank top and black basketball shorts. I blow-dried my hair and pulled it back into a simple curly ponytail, with my bangs side-swept.
There was a knock on the door and when I opened it, Rupert was standing in the hall with a room-service cart next to him. “You always need a nourishing breakfast before the big premiere!” he said, and I allowed him to pull the cart through the doorway before closing the door. “Good Morning!” I said, kissing him and then inviting him over to the couch to eat. We ate the pancakes and strawberries all up, until all that was left on our plates were a few crumbs and stains from the strawberry juice. I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth and do my makeup while Rupert put the cart out in the hall and went back to his room to get ready.
I thought the concept of a mid-day premiere was a bit strange—in Hollywood premieres usually took place in the evening—but apparently this was a regular in Japan. In an hour and a half I was fully ready and looking at my reflection in the mirror. The nude Collette Dinnigan dress sparkled in the soft light and the pale blue coat set it off wonderfully. I slipped my feet into the gorgeous lace flats and slid the silver and gold bangle over my hand and let it settle on my wrist. The evening bag I had borrowed from Gucci was more like a coin purse, so I could only fit a tube of lip gloss, my hotel room key, and about $50 in Yen bills. I snapped the top closure shut and checked my appearance in the mirror, brushing a strand of my bangs out of my eyes before going to the door.
The Tokyo premiere proved to be the most confusing. Not only did we not speak Japanese, but the customs for a Japanese premiere were slightly different. We first went along the red carpet, like in any premiere. However, straight after that we had a mini press conference, then went on to the press room where our photos were taken together, and finally went to the theatre to watch the film.
When the movie started, I had the same rush of excitement I had felt at every other premiere…after all, I was about to see an amazing movie and I had been given the opportunity to contribute to it, which felt awesome. However, the jet lag began to catch up to me, and almost the moment I leaned my head on Rupert’s shoulder, I was out cold. I awoke at the end of the movie as Rupert was nudging me softly. “Hey, sleepy head. The movie’s almost over, I figured I should wake you up.” He said, kissing the top of my head.
The premiere was over by 6pm, and there was no after party. Molly met us outside at 6:30—we had let the rush of movie-goers leave before leaving—and gave us three options. “All right. Emma, your limo is waiting to take you to the airport for your flight back to London. Rupert and Kellie, you have three options right now. Either you can stay and go eat dinner or whatever and then go to your hotels and fly out in the morning—keep in mind the premiere in Sydney is tomorrow evening—or you can get dinner and fly out right after, or we can fly out now and get something to take on the plane.” We both agreed unanimously that it was a good idea to leave right away, so that we could have a chance for more sleep before the final premiere.
We found ourselves one hour later on the private plane WB had chartered for us. We had gone back to the hotel and grabbed our bags, which we hadn’t bothered unpacking, and gone to the nearby executive airport. I was in my pajamas and had a pillow and blanket ready, fully expecting a lot of sleep once we got in the air. Molly handed us each a white Styrofoam box, which we opened to find perfectly prepared sushi. “Thank you, Molly!” we said as we began downing the sushi like we hadn’t eaten in days. When I was finished, I gave my trash to the hired stewardess and then shut off the light above my head, leaned back on my pillow, curled up in my blanket and went to sleep.
I woke up five hours later as the sun came up over the horizon. I realized the plane was making its final descent to the airport in Sydney. Next to me, Rupert was still sleeping with his head against the window, and I could hear Molly snoring lightly behind us. I unbuckled my seatbelt and quietly got up from my seat, bringing my carry-on bag with me. I went into the bathroom, which was quite a bit roomier than a regular plane lavatory, and changed into normal clothes—khaki shorts and a blue and red plaid madras top with bronze t-strap jeweled sandals, all from Old Navy. When I returned to my seat, there was a soft ding! overhead and the seatbelt sign came on. Rupert’s eyes opened as I sat down and he smiled. “You look nice.” He said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes tiredly. “I hate sleeping on planes…they’re so uncomfortable.” He added, stretching his arms.
When we landed, Rupert changed into a white short-sleeved button-down with blue stripes and distressed jeans. Then Molly took us out to a café for breakfast, her treat, where we ate and talked for about an hour and a half. We took us to the hotel we would be staying in that night. Rupert and I walked together as the bellboys brought our luggage to our rooms. “Are you excited for tonight?” I asked of the final premiere, which would be taking place in the Sydney Opera House—the first premiere ever to be held there. “Of course…it’ll just be the two of us this time. I can’t wait.” Rupert said, squeezing my hand. He kissed me on the cheek and went into his room.
Rupert knocked on my door a half-hour later, while I was sitting on the couch with my feet on the coffee table watching TV. When I opened it, he was holding a bouquet of tulips in a vase. I gasped, and took them. “What’s this for?” I asked, smelling the beautiful flowers—my favorite kind, they reminded me of the times we would go to the tulip festival when I was a little girl in Washington—and set the vase on the table. “I just thought you would like them. You want to go on a date with me? I’d kind of like to see the city today, since we’re leaving early tomorrow.” He said, hugging me.
“Of course! Just let me go change real quick.” I let Rupert in and he took my place on the couch while I picked out an outfit from my suitcase and went into the bathroom to change. I put on a blue diagonal plaid cotton skirt with hints of purple in it, with two blue and yellow layered tank tops, brown leather wedge shoes, and a brown leather Kate Spade clutch. I came out of the bathroom, my hair down and wavy, my makeup minimal, and Rupert stood up, turned the TV off, and walked over to me. “You,” he said, taking my face in his hands, “are so beautiful. I can’t believe you’re mine.” And he kissed me on the lips.
Rupert and I spent the day in Sydney. We walked around the dock and then got on a boat and went whale-watching, had dinner together, and went shopping in one of the nicer areas of the city. I bought a teal velvet clutch and a white strapless Betsey Johnson dress with a sweetheart neckline and a kicked-out hem at the knee as well as a beautiful red felt evening coat with a shawl collar and a slanted opening with gorgeous big black resin buttons.
That evening Rupert and I arrived at the premiere together in a limo, I in the 50’s-style black dress with a waist-cinching belt, round-toed pumps, and a diamond chandelier necklace with three pink tourmaline drops. My hair was parted at the side with low ponytail just behind my right ear. When we got into the Opera House, Rupert pulled me aside as the guests began filing into the theatre. “When we get back to London I’m going to take you out on a date you’ll never forget.” He said simply, putting his arm around me as we walked down a deserted hallway.
“I know we’ve only been dating for a month, but we’ve been together—as friends—for 5 months now. It’s not the exact date, the real day was a week ago from when we first met, but our 1-month anniversary is in a week. So I chose today, as a medium, to give you this.” Rupert reached into his blazer pocket and handed me a rectangular, flat burgundy velvet box. When I opened it, a diamond necklace sparkled in the soft light of the corridor. It was completely platinum and covered in diamonds, and the pendant was a diamond bow. “Oh…oh my gosh, Rupert. You…” I stammered, trying to find words to say. I knew this pendant—when we went shopping for premiere clothes, I stumbled across the fine jewelry section of the Dior boutique and found myself drooling over this beautiful necklace, and knew it had to have cost Rupert a fortune.
“It’s okay, you don’t need to say anything. I just want you to know I love you.” I stumbled a bit as Rupert said this; Last time someone told me he loved me, it was Robert, and that very same evening he flirted with one of my best friends and we broke up. But I knew it would be different with Rupert. Our relationship was so amazing—Rupert never tried to rush into anything, and he always made sure I was comfortable with something before going through with it. Rupert was my idea of the perfect long-term relationship, and even, maybe, a future husband. I stopped, wrapped my arms around him, and buried my head into his shoulder. “I love you too, Rupert. I really do.” I said.
We finally joined the audience in the theatre, after I took off my original necklace and put on the new one, to watch the film. When it was over, Rupert and I walked around the exterior of the opera house, admiring the incredible architecture and stopping once in a while to take pictures of us together. When we were done, we got in the limo and rode back to the hotel to get some rest before the morning’s flight back to London—at last!
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I couldn’t believe I was standing in front of the most sought-after personal stylist in all of London. Elizabeth Porter was tall, thin, and aging gracefully. Her light brown hair was flecked with grey and she didn’t seem to mind at all—something I really respected. She had kind eyes and wore a periwinkle blue wrap dress with stone trim around the neckline.
Two weeks ago, on the flight from Sydney to London, Molly informed me that she had hired a stylist to help me pick an outfit to wear to the Queen’s birthday. I hadn’t been expecting to need a stylist, but still the idea was exciting—my own personal stylist to help me pick out the perfect dress to an extravagant ball; it was like a fairytale dream-come-true. Therefore, I had spent my evenings on the first week of filming contemplating what to wear in order to impress Elizabeth. I had gone through everything from suits to skirts to jeans and t-shirts, and had finally decided on a white halter dress with blue porcelain design. It was summery and pretty and seemed to get the approval of Elizabeth, which was what I was hoping for.
“All right, Ms. Holt, we have a big task on our hands…after all, it’s not every day that one is honored with an invitation to the Queen’s birthday.” Elizabeth said, her eyes twinkling as she spoke. “However, you’re in luck—this is not my first time picking an outfit for her Majesty’s presence. In fact, I myself have had the pleasure of meeting her, and I have much knowledge in the type of etiquette and dress needed to impress her.” Elizabeth beckoned me through the door of her flat into her home-office and over to a sleek flat screen computer. Images of gorgeous outfits flashed on the screen saver before she moved the mouse and began opening applications. I watched her launch Microsoft Word, a fashion program I’d never seen before, and Adobe Photoshop.
“I already have pictures of you I’ve taken from press sites and we’ll be working with different looks and putting your head on them to figure out if it will go well with your hair, eyes, and skin. Once we’ve compiled a good amount of possibilities, you’ll try them on—I’ve called in a bunch of gowns from different designers that are all on my program and in that closet.” Elizabeth waved her hand towards an oak door as she focused on the computer screen.
Two hours later, after picking out six beautiful dresses to choose from, Elizabeth Porter led me over to the door, which she opened up to reveal an immense walk-in closet. “Wait right here, I’ll find the gowns.” When Elizabeth returned once more, she had half a dozen hangers balancing garment bags slung over her arm. I spent an hour and a half trying each one on and standing in front of the floor-length mirror as Elizabeth and I picked out the pros and cons of each one. We found the fewest cons and the most pros in two dresses in particular; a white satin Vera Wang gown with bejeweled straps and a cream column strapless dress from Christian Lacroix with delicate lace ruffles and bows.
“I think you should go with the Lacroix gown. After all, you never know if you’ll be invited back to Buckingham Palace, you might as well go with the most stunning, drop-dead gorgeous piece you can or you’ll regret it in the future. The Queen’s party is an excuse to go for all-out glamour, and it’s ten—no, 50—times the glamour of your average movie premiere.” Elizabeth suggested as I admired the delicate but exquisite gown. It only took a few moments to convince me—she even promised I could wear the necklace Rupert had given me, after admiring it on one of the photos she had pulled up. “This dress is Elie Saab and costs £2,587.” I nearly stumbled backwards—this was $4,817! But it was worth it, and after all, the price of all of my premiere outfits together was more than that. So I agreed and paid Elizabeth the price, which she would transfer to the designer. As she handed me the garment bag, Elizabeth asked, “Would you like to find shoes and accessories as well, or do you prefer to do that on your own?” I considered it, but decided not to, even though the cost was completely covered by my agency. I wasn’t too impressed with having a stylist after all—I very well could’ve picked out that outfit on my own—and I reasoned that it would be a much better idea to find the rest on my own; that way I could control the budget and not end up paying a fortune for that as well.
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“So, what are you wearing to the Queen’s party?” Katie asked two weeks later as we waited around at a break in filming. Dan and Emma had been invited as well, and she was going as Dan’s guest. I described my gown to her and she seemed very impressed. “Oh!” I said, pulling my camera out of the bag I kept with me on set, which also contained my cell phone, keys, iPod, and a good book or magazine to read when I got bored, “I forgot I’ve taken a picture of myself in it. It’s absolutely extravagant and beautiful; I can’t wait for the actual party.” I showed Katie the picture, and then she described the process she went to in order to find the right dress—she had also gone to a personal stylist, though it was not Elizabeth Porter.
“I had my eyes on a gorgeous black gown, but she told me that it’s a commonly known fact that the Queen disregards anyone who wears black to her parties—‘after all,’ she said, ‘it’s a celebration, not a funeral!’” I laughed at this, but was secretly glad I hadn’t picked out a black dress. Katie explained that she eventually picked a gorgeous pale blue Oscar de la Renta strapless gown with beading on the bodice and a tiered tulle skirt. “As much as I loved the sexy black lace dress, I realized this is so much more elegant and appropriate to be in the presence of the Queen.”
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Three weeks passed and I found myself on the day of the party. I sat in Il Salone di Aprile as April twisted my hair into an elegant updo and the makeup artist that she had recently added to her salon applied my makeup. Together they had collaborated on the perfect look after I showed them a picture of the dress, and decided that they would go with hair and makeup worthy of Old Hollywood. I sat cooperatively reading the latest issue of Harper’s Bazaar and enjoying the music that played overhead in the speaker.
When they finished, I had a gorgeous updo that still showed my loose curls, smoky eyes like those of Brigitte Bardot, and pale glossy lips. “Wow! I look incredible!” I said, thanking them both. I checked my watch—two and a half hours until Rupert would be picking me up. I quickly paid April and thanked her, and then drove back to my flat, where I spent the next two hours shaving, painting my nails, dressing, and making sure I was completely ready. When Rupert arrived at 7:30, my hair was still perfect, and I looked stunning—if I do say so myself—in my gown with the Dior necklace and gold rhinestone-studded Gucci heels, which hardly even showed under my dress. Rupert wore a crisp suit with a simple white tuxedo shirt underneath. I couldn’t help but think, damn he looks hot!
We arrived at Buckingham palace in a vintage white Rolls Royce Silver Cloud. As we walked down the famous walkway to the palace, now covered by a red carpet, the wind blew and Rupert put his arm around my shoulder to protect it from the breeze. “Did I mention you look absolutely beautiful?” he asked as we approached the front doors—held open by two immaculate doormen—and I couldn’t help but giggle. “Yes, three times actually. But thank you. You look handsome. Very much.”
The inside of the palace was ornate and elegant, and there were incredibly beautiful people in exquisite gowns and prim tuxes. Rupert and I made our way through crowds of people dancing and socializing until we found Katie, Dan, Emma, and a boy I didn’t recognize standing together in a group. Katie was wearing a dazzling periwinkle blue sparkling tulle Oscar de la Renta gown with a tiered skirt and satin gloves in the same color, her hair in a curled updo. Dan was holding her gloved hand in his own, in a suit with a black velvet blazer. Across from them stood Emma with her hair curled and pulled back in an ornate comb, wearing a camel-colored chiffon strapless gown from Ralph Lauren, holding the hand of a tall boy with blonde curly hair.
“Kellie! Rupert! There you are.” Katie said, hugging me when we joined the group. “You look great, Kellie! Your gown is gorgeous.” We said hello to everyone, and Emma introduced us to the boy with her, who turned out to be Leo Grates, the boy who had just moved in down the street from her whom she had a major crush on. We all talked for a while and Rupert and I danced a few times, and then we were invited into the dining room to eat.
The Queen was graceful and classy, and after dinner she introduced herself to all of us and told us that “Oh, I am such a fan of your lovely acting. Keep up the wonderful work!” before moving on to the next guests. As we were making our way out, saying goodbye to the other guests we had met throughout the night, I ran into Amelia.
“Oh, Kellie! I saw you earlier but I was being held up by some boring diplomats, so I never got a chance to say hello. But you look incredible!” Amelia pulled me to the side and we talked for a bit—we hadn’t been able to get together since before I left for the premiere tour, though we had talked on the phone a lot. Amelia was wearing a midnight blue tiered chiffon dress which, as she had told me on the phone, was from the fall Armani Privé couture line.
Rupert stayed behind talking to Katie and Dan while Amelia led me to a quiet room. “Kellie, I have the most incredible news!” she said ecstatically as soon as she turned around after securing the lock on the door. She opened up the little evening bag in her hand and pulled out a black velvet box. “William and I are engaged!” she exclaimed, opening the box to reveal an incredible sapphire surrounded by diamonds on a white gold band. I gasped as she slid it on her finger and held it up in the light for me to see.
“Oh, my gosh, Amelia, that’s wonderful!” I cried, giving her a hug. “I know! I am so happy. I’ve never felt more sure, more in love, than now, and I can’t wait to marry him!” she said. “And the ring—isn’t it amazing? It belonged to Princess Diana, may she rest in peace, and she gave it to William. He told me when he proposed that Diana said, ‘I want you to give this to your wife some day, because I’ve blessed it with the strength and love that will last a lifetime—the same love I have for you and Harry.’ Isn’t that amazing?”
We talked for a bit and Amelia told me that she and William would be announcing it as soon as they decided on a date for the wedding. Amelia and I left the room and found Rupert, Katie, and Dan where we had left them. We said our goodbyes, and as we were about to leave, Amelia whispered in my ear, “one more thing. You’re the most incredible friend ever, you’re like a sister to me. Please, Kellie, be my maid of honor?” I couldn’t believe she was asking me—after all, we’d only been friends for three and a half months, though we had become very close friends in that time. But I knew the answer from the moment she asked me. “Of course!” I said, giving her one last hug before Rupert took my hand and we left.
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Three weeks later Rupert took me shopping. We had two weeks off from filming and the next day Dan, Rupert, Emma, Bonnie, and Katie and I were leaving on Dan’s yacht for a two-week-long trip to the Mediterranean. That morning, Rupert had called me and said, “I need to get a few last-minute things for the trip tomorrow, why don’t we go out to lunch and then go shopping? You know how much I hate shopping alone.”
So I had put on a light green sweater with a brown leather skinny belt at the waist, dark skinny jeans, and brown leather chunky wood platform heels and waited for him to show up at my flat. We went to lunch at my favorite café and now we stood in Anthropologie looking through the pretty summer tops and flowy dresses. Rupert had his arm around my waist as I picked out clothes to try on. I bought a navy cotton sailor-style strapless dress with a white rope drawstring at the bust, a white halter with blue straps and big blue polka-dots, and an orange chiffon strapless floor-length sundress with white flower print.
That evening everyone stayed at Dan’s house, which was closest to the bay where the yacht would be waiting the next morning. I changed into a yellow sweatshirt and navy blue gauze pajama pants and we all sat out on the back patio as the sun went down and talked for hours. When we finally decided it was time to get to bed, I walked upstairs with Katie, Emma, and Bonnie and went to the guest room where our beds were made up. When we got inside, there was a plain white paper bag sitting at the edge of my bed, with red tissue paper erupting form the top.
“Ooh, is that a gift?” Katie asked as I sat on my bed, pulled the bag towards me, and pulled out a bundle of tissue paper. I unwrapped the scarlet paper to reveal a black shoebox, and when I lifted a lid I found a pair of brown leather espadrilles with a birdcage toe, t-strap, and an ankle strap. “Wow!” I said, trying them on—a perfect fit—“These are incredible!” I said, admiring them in the mirror. “They must be from Rupert, but there’s no card.” Bonnie added, turning over the empty bag. “I’m sure it’s from him,” Katie added. “Dan does things like this for me sometimes as well. He buys me things and won’t admit that it’s from him. It’s so romantic, don’t you think?”
We all agreed and I put the shoes in one of my suitcases to take on the trip. We all crowded in the bathroom to wash our faces, brush our teeth, and get ready to sleep. “Oh, I can’t wait for the trip! It’s going to be a blast, don’t you think?” Bonnie said, splashing warm water on her face. “Yeh, it’ll buh gwet!” Emma mumbled, her mouth full of toothpaste and a toothbrush. We all laughed as we went back into the bedroom, climbed into our beds, and fell asleep.
“Kellie, wake up! Today’s the day!” Katie was sitting on the edge of my bed tugging on my shoulder. I struggled to open my eyes, and when I did, I saw that it was still dark outside. “What time is it?” I asked sleepily as I rolled out of bed and stretched. “It’s 5. We’re leaving in an hour. It’s your turn to shower, we’ve all already had ours. And what a surprise, the boys still aren’t up. They’ll probably take about ten minutes in total to get ready.” I giggled as I waddled into the bathroom, grabbed a towel, and shut the door behind me.
Forty-five minutes later I had my hair straightened and I had on a white screen-printed t-shirt, yellow cotton twill cuffed shorts, and green flip-flops with shells on the straps. Rupert clambered out of his room in a t-shirt and cargo shorts, combing his fingers through his hair. “Hey, hon, you look cute. Aren’t you at all tired, though?” he asked, giving me a hug as I sat at the dining room table eating granola for breakfast. “Oh, I’m going to sleep the whole way to the bay, don’t worry.” I said with a laugh.
We piled into Dan’s truck, all of our luggage and food in the bed, and turned up the music as we drove down to the bay. We spent an hour transferring our bags to our rooms and the food to the refrigerator. There were a few paparazzi on the dock taking our pictures, but we didn’t mind. Everyone was a bit too excited for the trip to mind having our pictures taken. When we finally took off, Dan was steering—both he and Rupert had been boating with their families since they were little—and we danced around a bit and listened to Beyonce as we waved goodbye to all of the bystanders on the dock.
That night Rupert barbequed chicken on the grill and we all lounged around in our bathing suits. We had spent the entire day out on the boat headed towards the Mediterranean, where we would be making stops in Spain, France, Monaco, and Italy. “Okay, guys, we’ll be to Barcelona by tomorrow evening, why don’t we plan on going out for a nice dinner or something?” Dan suggested as we docked in Lisbon, Portugal for the evening. We laid out for a while watching the stars—you could see so many from the boat—until we were too tired to keep our eyes open, so we clambered into our rooms and fell asleep.
I woke up early the next morning, and everyone else was asleep. I tip-toed out of the room and picked a muffin out of the fridge to eat before going back into the room to change. The view of Lisbon in daylight was incredible, and I decided to go get a few good pictures before we had to leave. When I came out of the bathroom wearing a cream sundress and jeweled sandals, Bonnie was awake as well, and she looked at me bleary-eyed. “Where are you going?” she whispered, following me back to the upper deck of the boat as I packed my Canon Rebel camera in its bag and slung it over my shoulder. “I’m going to go take a few pictures before we leave. Look at this city, isn’t it incredible?” Bonnie followed my gaze and I heard her gasp. “Wow! Wait…you shouldn’t go alone, you don’t know your way around. Give me a minute and I’ll change and come with you.”
I wrote a note on a piece of paper and stuck it to the fridge with a magnet:
Guys,
Bonnie and I have gone into the city to take a few pictures before we leave.
We won’t be long, so don’t worry. See you soon!
-Kellie
Bonnie came out a moment later with her vibrant red hair clipped back, wearing a white button-down dress with little pink flowers, green sling-back cork wedges, and toting her own camera as well. We set out and found the most beautiful views, taking pictures like natural photographers. “Oh, this city is amazing. I wish I could move here!” Bonnie said, she was now fully awake. “Me too! Its beauty just makes me feel like I could live here and be completely care-free.” I agreed as we walked back to the bay.
We found everybody awake, sitting around the table eating breakfast. “Hey, there you guys are!” Emma said as we got on the boat and joined them at the table. Bonnie and I sat down and showed everyone the pictures we had taken on our cameras. A half-hour later, we pulled up the anchor and left the port. The girls and I decided to lie out and tan for a bit, so I put on one of the many bathing suits I brought—a red halter bikini top with a bow in the middle, and a black bottom with a silver ring on the right side.
We stayed out for two hours tanning, and then went into our rooms to get out of the sun for a while. Rupert was steering, so I went into the control room and sat down next to Rupert. We talked for about an hour and then I fell asleep, my feet kicked up on the table.
“Kellie, hon, get up. We’re almost to the port in Barcelona.” Rupert’s voice drifted among my dream and woke me up. I opened my eyes to see the sun going down amongst a pink and yellow sky. “Wow…the sunset. It’s so beautiful!” I said, standing up and stretching before going to get ready for our dinner in Barcelona. Dan had called ahead from a payphone in Lisbon and made reservations in a restaurant a friend had recommended to him.
I took a shower and then straightened my blonde curls until my hair was just straight, with just the slightest natural wave. I put on a little makeup and painted my nails and toes dark blue. As we docked in Barcelona, I put on a blue and gold sequined Versace dress that landed just below my knees, with a scoop neck and no sleeves. I slipped my feet into some champagne satin heels and went up to find Rupert in a light blue button down shirt and black slacks. “Hey, beautiful, you look absolutely perfect.” He said, putting his arm around my and kissing me softly. We sat at the table and Dan soon joined us as we waited for Bonnie, Emma, and Katie to come up so we could leave.
Bonnie surfaced first with her hair pulled back, small ringlets hanging down, wearing a blue rainbow plaid Zac Posen dress and cantaloupe colored satin pumps. “Hey, Bon, you look beautiful!” I said, admired her colorful and glamorous dress. Katie came out next in a strapless cream lace Jill Stuart dress, her hair down and curly, her eyes a sparkling smoke color.
Emma was the last out, her hair pulled back in a bun, wearing a beige jersey dress from Calvin Klein, the waist cinched by a skinny red leather belt. Now that we were all ready, we set off for the restaurant, all linking arms and talking and laughing all the way there.
“Kellie, I don’t understand a single thing on this menu,” Rupert said with a look of utter perplexity on his face. “No, scratch that, I understand ‘tortilla!’” he added with a laugh. “It’s okay, guys, I’ll translate for you. Tell me what you want, I’ll find something for you.” Everybody took turns telling me what they wanted and I found the closest match on the menu. When the waiter came over, I began to speak Spanish—the thing I was looking forward to most in Spain.
“Hola! Ellos no hablan español, pero yo si, y ordere para ellos.” The waiter nodded and seemed delighted that I spoke Spanish—surely they had a lot of English-speaking tourists and had a difficult time translating for them. “El quiere saber, como esta su paella?” I asked—Rupert had been asking about paella, so I asked how good their dish was. “Ooh, esta mi comida favorite de este restaurante. El Gustará mucho.”
“Rupert, he says their paella is his favorite dish from this restaurant, and he’s sure you’ll like it.” I translated.
“Okay, I’ll take it, it must be pretty good.” Rupert said. “I’ll try that, too, I might as well try what the locals say!” Bonnie said.
“Ellos quieren la paella, y lo quiero tambien.” I said, and then ordered for Emma, Katie, and Dan. After a while the food arrived, the waiter asked, “Como le gustan su paella?”
“He wants to know how the paella is.” I informed Bonnie and Rupert, who both nodded in approval—their mouths were full—and Rupert gave a thumbs up. “Le Gustamos mucho, esta muy delicioso!” I said. He seemed delighted and, before he left, added, “La Paella esta la cosa más popular en nuestro menu.”
We ate our dinner and spent the evening enjoying the incredible city. We finally got back to the yacht at 2 in the morning, and while everybody else went to get ready for bed, Rupert and I stood at the front of the yacht looking at the reflection of the stars sparkle on the water. He put his arm around me and gave me his jacket when the breeze got chillier. Before we went off to our rooms, Rupert kissed me and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me for a moment before saying, “I really love you.”
Rupert and I walked down the stairs and when we got to the room I was sharing with Katie, Emma, and Bonnie, he kissed me on the forehead and said goodnight, walking on to the room where Dan was probably already asleep. I crept into the room, put on my pajamas, climbed into bed and fell asleep right away.
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9 days later we were walking into the Academia Gallery in Florence, Italy. I had on a white halter with blue polka-dots and a blue flower at the bust, white pants, and blue flats with white polka dots from Anthropologie. Bonnie and I were at the head of the group, most excited to see the incredible and very ancient artwork. Behind us were Emma and Katie, followed by Rupert and Dan. We paid the toll at the front desk and then proceeded into the museum.
We spent four hours walking through the museum, viewing incredible works of art by Botticelli and Michelangelo, including the famous ‘David’. When we were done, we took a cab back to the private airport, where a plane took us to the port where the boat was docked in Pisa. We had been spending our time in Italy using choppy Italian—mostly consisting of me trying to guess what words meant by their closeness to Spanish words. Luckily, the pilot spoke English as well, so he helped us find our way around.
Rupert and I had made plans for the evening together, just the two of us. We were going to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa—we had been there the evening before, but we wanted to see it in daylight. Then he wanted to take me out to dinner for some real Italian pizza. I went into the bedroom and changed into a pink silk baby doll blouse with a key-hole and blue and yellow flowers. I slipped on some black cropped pants and some black suede round-toe pumps. I pulled my hair back into a messy chignon and put on a strawberry pink lip stain before going upstairs to find Rupert in a striped polo and jeans waiting at the table for me.
We went to the tower and spent a half-hour admiring it inside and out. Rupert and I took the typical funny pictures of each other ‘holding up’ the tower. Afterwards, we walked down the street, past the University of Pisa, and to a little pizza place with checkered tablecloths and incredible music. We ate in the soft candle light and were occasionally serenaded by the restaurant’s own band. Afterwards, Rupert and I walked back to the yacht hand-in-hand and joined the rest of the group around the table talking until midnight.
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“Oh, I’m so glad we’re back on set!” Katie said, doing a twirl as we walked onto the set together the next morning. Her car had broken down so I picked her up before filming on our first day back. “I know! I missed this place. It’s like my second—no, make that third—home.” I agreed. We separated at our dressing rooms and I took a few minutes to lounge on my couch reading Teen Vogue before heading up to hair and makeup. Soon I was changed into my costume and fully in-character. Bonnie and I had a scene together, so before we filmed we went over our lines together and then took our places on set.
“Hey, Kellie, I keep forgetting, there’s a premiere Friday night for the movie City of Lights and I got an invite. Want to go with me?” she asked just before the scene started. We went through the scene once and when the director called, ‘cut!’ I immediately said, “of course! That sounds like so much fun. But what about James?” and we re-shot the scene.
“James is going to be out of town, he and William are going to Scotland for a week tomorrow. But I would want you to come anyway…it’s a chick flick, I don’t want to force James to sit through that.” She explained when we were done with the scene. That afternoon we made plans for dinner before the premiere and I gave Bonnie a check for half of the payment for the limo we were sharing. When I got back to my apartment after dropping Katie off at her house, I picked out a dress to wear to the premiere, rather than buying a new one. I chose a black Vera Wang empire waist dress with a velvet sash and a tulle skirt that ended mid-calf.
Just as I was giving up on finding the right shoes to wear with the dress, my cell phone rang and when I picked up, Amelia was on the other line. We talked for a bit, and she told me that she and William were planning on announcing their engagement the next day. “Oh, Amelia, that’s great! I’m so excited for you guys. And I’ve kept my promise, nobody knows.” I explained to her my dilemma with shoes for the premiere, and she said, “Well, I’m going to Selfridge & Co in about an hour, why don’t you meet me? We’ll make it quick so you’re not out too late, but I can help you.”
We hung up and I brushed my teeth and grabbed my purse. The Selfridge we were meeting at wasn’t the closest one to my apartment, so I had to leave early if I wanted to stop at my favorite coffee shop on the way. I went in and bought a Chai latte and a warm blueberry muffin and then drove to Selfridge, where Amelia was waiting outside. “Hey, gorgeous!” she said, complimenting me on my pale yellow camisole with jeans and espadrilles. We sat down at a table outside of the café next door as I ate my muffin and Amelia worked on a bottle of Jones Soda. When we were finished, we went into Selfridge and I showed Amelia a picture of my dress on my digital camera.
We went directly to the shoe department and began looking through the shoes. I picked out a pair of lacy d’Orsays and a black point-toed platform leather pumps, both by Christian Louboutin. I tried them on and in the end decided on the black platforms, which were a bit more modest and would go well with the sweetness of the pretty empire dress. Amelia helped me pick out some gold dangle earrings with three pink garnet stones, and I decided not to use an evening bag after a good half hour of searching without any luck in the handbag department.
Amelia and I talked about the wedding, scheduled for May 3rd, which she was well into planning with the royal event planners. “I’m just a bit nervous about announcing the engagement tomorrow.” She admitted as we browsed through a rack of floral skirts. “For one thing, the whole nation is going to be looking at me from now on as their future queen, and that means I can’t make a single mistake. And then there’s the fact that, as a member of the royal family, I’ll never be able to go out in public alone again, and I’ll never, ever escape the paparazzi. And look what that did to Diana, may she rest in peace!” As Amelia said this last part, she sighed a bit.
“But it’s worth it. I love William. Nothing can stop us from being together forever.” She said, and a smile crept back to her face. “Oh, Amelia, I’m so happy for you.” I said, giving her a reassuring hug, “And if you ever have a bad experience with some paparazzi, you call me up and I won’t hesitate to kick every one of their asses.” I added with a laugh.
When we were finished looking through the clothes, I bought the shoes and earrings and Amelia bought a pretty silk dress to wear to the press conference the next day in which she and William would announce their engagement. Just as we were about to part in the parking lot, Amelia spun around and gasped. “I have the perfect clutch for your dress, Kellie!” she exclaimed, a big smile on her face. “It’s black pleated satin with a gold top clasp frame, it’s beautiful. I’ll have it delivered to your home tomorrow!” she gave me a double-air-kiss and climbed into her car and drove off.
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“Hi Kellie, this is Molly. I just wanted to let you know Seventeen magazine has scheduled an interview and photo shoot tomorrow afternoon. They’ll both take place on the set at Leavesden, and Alexa Wright will be there around 1pm.” The message on my answering machine recited back to me as I kicked off my shoes and dropped my purse on the counter when I got home. I yawned and went directly to my bedroom, changing into my pajamas and going to sleep.
The next morning I dressed in a black, white, and yellow plaid short-sleeve button down and denim cut-off Bermuda shorts with black low-top Converse All Stars. I grabbed my brown leather Coach tote and put on my brown tortoise shell sunglasses and left the apartment. When I got to the set, we filmed for three hours straight before I had to go change into my normal clothes for the interview. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail but left my side-swept bangs out.
When I left my dressing room, I went to the lobby where the secretary told me that Alexa was waiting outside at a picnic table set up for the occasion. I followed her directions to get to the table, and when I did, I was greeted by a woman in her mid 40’s with a stern smile and dark eyes. When she spoke, her voice was slightly high-pitched but very confident.
“So, Kellie, how do you do it?” Alexa asked right away. I was caught a bit off-guard, expecting to have a formal introduction, though I already knew her name. I stuttered, “Erm, how do I do what?” I asked with a little laugh. She smiled and held out her hand. “Kellie, I’m Alexa Wright, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” I was still a bit perplexed as I shook her hand and returned the formalities. Before I could say anything, she rushed back into the question she had posed before.
“Fame can be a scary thing…especially for girls your age that are completely new to the celebrity way of life. And yet when we see you on the red carpet, you’re always so happy, poised, and confident. How do you do it?” She paused and pointed to the tape recorder sitting between us on the table. “Be sure to speak up so it doesn’t miss anything.”
“Um…well, I guess I just don’t think of it the way most people would. I mean, I could make myself completely nervous by saying, ‘thousands of people are going to watching me, scrutinizing what I wear and how I walk and what I say.’” I started, “But I don’t do that. I say to myself, ‘this premiere is going to be great. I get to meet fans of the movie, hang out with my friends, and wear a beautiful dress!’ I’ve got things like that to look forward to, so instead of focusing on all the people that are focusing on me, I keep my eye on what I get to do when I get to the end of that red carpet. It’s even better when my friends from Arizona are there—I’m most comfortable and happy with them because I’ve known them all for such a long time.”
“And you don’t mind the paparazzi that seem to be taking a great interest in you lately?” She asked, her eyes boring into my skull. “They were a bit scary at first; I had no idea why they were so obsessed with getting a picture of me, an ordinary girl. But I’ve gotten used to it a bit more now…they’ve backed off a bit, and only really hang around when Rupert and I are together, and occasionally outside of the set.”
“What about Rupert?” she stated simply and I was a bit confused as to how to answer this. “What about him?” I asked right away, not wanting to go too in-depth about our relationship, which was a private matter between the two of us. “I think most people understand that we’re dating, but the depths of our relationship aren’t really open to the public. It’s not a good idea to overexpose, is it?” I added calmly. Alexa looked a bit annoyed, but said nothing more about it. Instead, she moved onto the next question, “So, you always look immaculate on the red carpet as well as off,” she said this completely monotone, as though she didn’t wish to affiliate herself with the question, “who are your style icons?”
“Lately I’ve been watching Eva Longoria and Margherita Missoni. Eva always looks incredible because she knows how to dress for her body type, and she has unique style and flair. Margherita can wear these incredibly beautiful and glamorous Missoni dresses, but she always has something to add to make it a bit more her. She’s casual and pays more attention to how she wants to look than how the fashion world wants her to look, and it works so well. I also admire Jessica Alba’s taste in pretty dresses and sensible ensembles.”
The interview went on like this, with Alexa reciting questions off of her clipboard, me answering, and her showing no emotion whatsoever. I was a bit annoyed by the end of the interview, though I didn’t let it show, I wouldn’t want to give Alexa a reason to write bad things about me. When we were finished, Alexa showed me to the outdoor area where the photo shoot set was temporarily constructed. She stepped to the side and sat in a director’s chair, taking notes on her clipboard during the entire shoot.
The stylist dressed me first in a maroon bohemian style sundress with a brown beaded leather belt and brown leather gladiator sandals. I changed in a little tent they had set up, and when I came out and sat down to have my hair and makeup done, Alexa walked over and handed me a clipboard and a pen. “Fill these out and give them to me when you’re finished.” She said blandly, walking away the moment I took the board from her hand. As my hair was done in long loose curls and my makeup was done, I filled out the clipboard—which happened to be a semi-lame list of joke names:
1. KELLIE’S ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet and current street name)
Sadie Helena
2. KELLIE’S MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your moms side, favorite candy)
Shirley Praline
3. YOUR "FLY GIRL/GUY" NAME: (first initial of first name, first two or three letters of your middle name)
Keri
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
green panda
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, hometown)
Erin Everett
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters of your last name & last 3 letters of mother's maiden name, first 3 letters of your pet's name)
Holsbytil
7. JEDI NAME: (middle name spelled backwards, your mom's maiden name spelled backwards)
nire ybselgo
9. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The", your favorite color, the automoblie you drive)
The pink Mustang
1. YOUR SPY NAME: (your middle name and the name of the street you currently live on)
Erin Helena
2. YOUR Old Hollywood NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your dad's side, your favorite candy)
Dolores Praline
3. YOUR RAP NAME (first initial of first name, first two or three letters of your last name )
K-Hol
4. YOUR GAMER TAG: (a favorite color, a favorite animal)
pink monkey
10. YOUR ACTION HERO NAME: (First Name Of The Main Character In The Last Film You Watched, last Food You Just Ate).
Jacques Apple
The list was followed by two fact sheets, which I also filled out:
Kellie Holt’s favorites:
Color: pink and green
Lipgloss: Co. Bigelow Rose Salve
Gadget: my laptop
Cellphone: my Motorola E815
Animal: monkeys!
Food: sushi
Snack: chips
Candy: Pralines
Designers: Oscar de la Renta, Missoni, Ralph Lauren, Dolce & Gabanna, and Temperley
Pastimes: hanging out and doing spontaneous and random things with friends
Musicians: Mcfly, Save Ferris, Faith Hill, Miranda Lambert, and Carrie Underwood
Actors: Elijah Wood, Colin Firth
Actresses: Nicole Kidman, Scarlett Johansson Julia Roberts
Movies: Lord of the Rings trilogy, Dirty Dancing, Princess Bride.
Sports: Baseball and Badminton
Vacation Spots: Spain, Mexico, New York
Games: Egyptian Rat Screw and Speed (card games) and Cranium
School Subjects: Spanish and History
Extracurricular Subjects: Photography and sewing
Magic Power: apparating or mind reading
Harry Potter Character: Luna and Ron
Harry Potter Book: Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter Set: the Ministry of Magic set in Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter House: Ravenclaw
Books: Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien,, Geisha, a Life by Mineko Iwasaki, Authentic Beauty by Lesley Ludy, A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray, and all books by Sophie Kinsella…and Harry Potter of course!
Author: J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Sophie Kinsella
The Basics
Full Name: Kellie Erin Holt
Harry Potter Character: Luna Lovegood
Nickname: Kel (only by parents!)
Harry Potter Nickname: Rupert calls me ‘Ginger’ sometimes because I’m jealous of his hair color!
Birthday: October 28, 1989
Astro Sign: Scorpio
Eyes: green
Hair: brown naturally, blonde for Harry Potter films
Pets: two cats named Tilly and Oolly in Arizona
First Acting Role: Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter of course!
First Book Read: Sam I Am by Dr. Seuss
Movie Credits: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2008) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Harry Potter Audition: selected from thousands of young girls for her exceptional talent, the only Harry Potter star not from the United Kingdom
Best Gift Received: a ring from her parents and a necklace from Rupert
How She Smiles On Cue: thinks of fun times with friends
When I was finished, I set the clipboard on the desk and was guided to the set where the photographer was waiting with Alexa on one side and the stylists on the other. We went through the whole photo shoot and in the end I was more than happy to get out and go back to the set. I thanked the photographer and the stylists, who were much nicer than Alexa, and made my way inside, where I changed back into my costume and returned to the set to film.
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On Friday afternoon, after filming, Bonnie came over to my apartment with a makeup case, garment bag slung over her back, and shoe box in tow. We sat in my bathroom doing our hair—mine in a loose chignon with side-swept bangs and Bonnie’s in long loose curls—and makeup and talking about our plans for the weekend. “James and I are taking a boat across the channel to France, and we’re going to Cherbourg and staying tomorrow night.” Bonnie explained as she swiped on eye shadow in bronze and gold shades.
“Ooh, Cherbourg? I’ve never been there. Is it nice?” I asked, dabbing lip gloss onto my lips. “I’ve never been either, but James goes there once in a while with his parents, and apparently it’s really lovely. What are you doing?”
I smiled. “Rupert told me he has a surprise, but he won’t say what. It’s killing me! But it’ll probably just be a nice dinner, which will be great. I just don’t want to get my hopes up too high and find out it’s nothing.” I said as I brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes and stood up. “Well, don’t worry about it. Rupert won’t let you down!” Bonnie assured me, and I had a feeling she was keeping the secret for Rupert as well. “Oh, man, you know! Ah, this kills me.” I laughed as I left the bathroom.
I zipped up my dress and put my pink tourmaline drop earrings in. Bonnie came in a moment later wearing a forest green v-neck dress with a gold lace overlay and a gold rope self-tie belt at the waist. “Bons, you look gorgeous!” I squealed, jumping up from the chair to admire her dress. I took her hand and she did a little twirl. “Isn’t it beautiful? James took me shopping last week and I picked this out and he bought it for me! It’s Alexia Adorn.”
As Bonnie tied up the laces to her gold lace-up Jimmy Choo heels, I slipped on my black platform Louboutins and put my apartment key, credit card, lipgloss, and compact mirror in my black satin top-frame clutch. “Are you ready?” Bonnie asked, grabbing her gold leather clutch and approaching the door. “Ready!” I said with a smile as we headed out the door.
When we arrived at the premiere, Bonnie stepped out of the limo and I followed her. We made our way down the red carpet and into the lounge were 50 or more people were mingling and chatting. I immediately spotted Ginnifer Goodwin, and I couldn’t believe my luck. I had admired her since I first saw her acting in her first film, Mona Lisa Smile, and had always wanted to meet her.
“Bonnie, look! It’s Ginnifer Goodwin. Come on! We have to meet her!” I grabbed Bonnie by the hand and pulled her through the crowd, weaving in and out of conversations until we were face to face with Ginnifer, who was in a yellow and cream Marc Jacobs sundress with white patent Louboutin peep-toe platforms. “Excuse me, Ginnifer?” I said politely as soon as she was alone, and she turned around with a smile on her face.
“Oh, you’re Kellie Holt,” she said right away, “And Bonnie Wright!” I was surprised that she recognized us without us introducing ourselves but, trying not to seem star-struck, I held out my hand and she shook it. “Wow, you know who I am!” I said, still a bit surprised.
“Why, of course! I adore the Harry Potter films, you guys are fantastic. Oh, and I’m Ginnifer Goodwin, by the way. It’s so great to meet you guys!” We all immediately connected and ended up chatting until the call was made for everyone to proceed into the theatre. It turned out we were one row behind Ginnifer in the theatre, so before the film she turned around and we talked even more. “You girls are so great. We should hang out more!” she whispered quickly before the film started. “I’ll give you my number after the movie!”
The movie wasn’t as great as I had expected—the acting was a bit dodgy and the plot was plain. But I was really glad I had gone anyways, both for a great time with Bonnie and the opportunity to meet Ginnifer. After the film, we decided to skip the after party and go get dessert at a nearby restaurant. As I nibbled on a chocolate cupcake with pink homemade frosting and brown sprinkles, Bonnie took a bite from her banana split and said, “It’s too bad you’re living in the US, Ginnifer, otherwise we could hang out all the time here! You’re way too much fun!”
“Actually,” Ginnifer said, setting her fork down on the plate next to her double chocolate layer cake, “I’m in London to look at apartments—I’m moving here!” Me and Bonnie were both surprised, but very pleased. “Here, this is my cell number for now—once I move here and get a home phone, I’ll give you that number as well.” She said, writing a phone number on two pieces of paper and handed one to each of us.
When the evening was over, we parted ways, and when I got back to my apartment, I opened the door and noticed right away that there was a crisp white envelope on the floor, as though someone had slipped it under the crack in the door. I picked it up and recognized the neat, tidy scrawl of my name right away as Rupert’s handwriting. I noticed it was a bit heavy as though there was something inside, and I shut the door, slipped out of my shoes, and curled up on the couch to open it.
Inside was the following note:
Dear Kellie,
I promised you a surprise for the weekend, and I hope it’s one you’ll enjoy.
I recently met Marghareta Missoni through a friend in the fashion industry.
She told me that she had heard you were a fan of the brand, and invited us
both to a dinner party she’s hosting at her home in London in honor of the
new Missoni fragrance. The party is tomorrow evening, and I gave our RSVP already. The invitation came with a sample of the perfume, and Marghareta has told me that the gift bag will come with a full sized bottle of the fragrance. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow evening—I’ll pick you up at 6pm.
Love,
Rupert
I smiled and reached into the envelope once more, feeling a small glass vial, the perfume sample he had promised. But I also felt something else—thin and cold, I grasped both items and pulled them out. I set the fragrance vial on the coffee table and all that was left in my palm was a delicate silver necklace with an old-fashioned key pendant. It shimmered in the dim lighting of my living room, and I smiled as I put it on. Even though it was 11, I couldn’t wait to thank Rupert.
“Hey, beautiful,” a very un-groggy voice rang out on the other line. “I got your letter…I love it. Thank you so much!” I said all at once. Rupert just laughed. “Well, I know how much you love Missoni, and I know how much I love you, so it all just kind of worked out.”
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The next morning I woke up early to go shopping for a Missoni outfit to wear to the party that evening. I pulled my hair back into a loose and messy ponytail with my bangs out, put on comfy khaki American Eagle cargos with a brown v-neck spaghetti strap tank top and brown flip-flops, grabbed my leather Coach bag, and left.
When I arrived at the Missoni boutique, I picked out three summery dresses right away and went to try them on. Out of the three dresses—a black maxi with bright blue floral print and a black sequined belt, a bright floral mini dress, and a long colorful poppy-print empire-waist gown, I liked the third best. I bought the dress and set out to find the perfect accessories—a thin-knit white cardigan, cute flats, and a great hair clip.
Three hours later I returned to my apartment with carrier bags in tow. I had bought a white cardi from Miss Selfridge, white leather woven flats with a small cork wedge from Aldo Shoes, and a silver rose cubic zirconium hair pin with a pearl in the very center.
That evening when Rupert came to pick me up, he was wearing a dark red button-down with black slacks and he had a single red rose for me. I opened the door, all dressed in my outfit with my hair half down, half pinned up by the rose pin and I was wearing the key necklace Rupert had given me.
After I put the rose in a vase and locked the door to my apartment—I had Rupert hold the key, as I wasn’t bringing a purse—we set out to the elevator and down to the lobby, where a car was waiting out front. The chauffer opened the door and stepped in as Rupert got in on the other side.
When we arrived at the party, there were no paparazzi waiting outside—a nice change—as Marghareta had kept the party very private. The dinner was being held in Marghareta’s penthouse—she had three in all: New York, London, and Florence—and Rupert and I arrived on the elevator and opened the door to a beautiful home. Marghareta was inside in a long dress with pastel watercolor flowers and gold flat sandals. She came over with a glass of champagne in her hand and gave Rupert a double-cheek kiss.
“Hello, Rupert! So glad you could make it.” She said, and then turned to me. “And this must be Kellie! Oh, I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Marghareta. Welcome to my home!” she gave me a double-air kiss and handed us each a flute of champagne before turning back to the party and motioning for us to mingle. I looked around in awe of all the incredible people I saw.
Over in the corner, Zac Posen was chatting with a brown-haired girl in a gorgeous royal blue silk Posen dress. She turned her head for a moment and I realized the brown-haired girl was Natalie Portman! Just as I pulled on Rupert’s hand to go introduce ourselves, I saw Carolina Herrera in a colorful printed chiffon cocktail dress and Louboutin peep-toe pumps. She had just finished talking to a woman, and turned right towards me as I spotted her.
“Oh, hello.” She said politely, looking me in the eye and holding out her hand. “I don’t believe we’ve met…I’m Carolina.” I shook her hand and introduced myself, and as Rupert did the same, a look of realization spread across her face. “Oh, you’re Harry Potter kids, right?” she said with a bit of a laugh. “Or rather, I shouldn’t call you kids. You’re a lot older than I thought! And so fashionable!”
We talked to Carolina for a while, and soon Claire Danes was standing next to us. My mouth must’ve dropped the moment I saw her, because she giggled as she introduced herself. “I’m sorry…I’m always so star struck! I can’t believe I’m meeting you.” I let out a nervous giggle, and Claire just smiled and didn’t seem to mind this. “It’s natural! When I first started out in the business, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut—it was always just hanging there, like I had a broken jaw or something! But you’re fine! You seem very composed.”
I was grateful that she could relate, and I ended up talking to Claire for another half-hour until dinner was served. I was seated between Rupert and Zac Posen, and Zac gave me his business card, which I put carefully in my clutch along with the cards of everyone else I had met. I had learned long ago that keeping a handful of my own cards was necessary, so I had also been giving them out. I was excited to finally have contacts in the fashion industry, and hoped I would be able to build up relationships that were necessary for anyone with good fashion taste.
By the end of the evening, I had met everyone at the party, and Marghareta hugged me and Rupert goodbye, handing us each a gold gift bag with “Missoni” printed in simple black on it. I thanked her for the evening and filed out behind Rupert. When we got outside, Rupert took my hand and turned me around, planting a kiss on my lips. I rested my head on his shoulder as we walked down the street, not bothering to call our car quite yet. We walked along the upscale street, fairy lights in the pretty trees and a few other couples making their way from restaurant to car, or apartment to the small park.
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Two weeks later, I was arranging flowers and setting trays of food out on every available surface in my flat. The doorbell rang and I peered through the peephole, hoping Rupert wasn’t on the other side, but I quickly saw that it was Bonnie, and unlocked the door and let her in. “Hey, Bonnie! Thanks for coming to help.” I said. She had on a pair of skinny jeans and a blue short-sleeve button down with ruffles along the buttons and bright red patent point-toe flats. Though she was wearing a very casual outfit, Bonnie’s hair was pulled back into a loose chignon, with small wispy ringlets framing her face.
I also had my hair done up in a half-ponytail with the rest of my hair in curly ringlets, and my makeup looked immaculate. But I was wearing a lilac Harajuku Lovers t-shirt under a light blue cardigan with brown pinstripe Bermuda shorts and bare feet. There was nothing special about what I was wearing, but above my neck I looked like I was ready for a party. This was exactly what I was ready for—I had planned a small surprise party for Rupert, with just the cast members. It was a Saturday, and I had asked Rupert to meet me at my flat at six, because I was cooking dinner for him. Instead, the cast would be waiting, and instead of my own cooking, a Japanese restaurant was catering for the party.
Bonnie helped me set up a long table she had brought from her home—the one her father used when he and his buddies had poker night at their house. When it was all set up, we noticed the food and beverage stains, and I realized it wouldn’t do on its own. “Oh, man, I need to run down to the store and get a tablecloth. Is there anything else we need?” I went over the list and decided to get a bit more ice cream from my favorite dessert shop, where I also had to pick up the cake. I threw on the first shoes I found, black leather wooden wedges, and grabbed my Coach bag.
One hour later, when I returned, Dan and Katie had already arrived at my home. They were helping Bonnie set out the food, and when I walked in with a bag in the crook of my elbow and a big cake in my hands, Katie rushed over to help me. She took the cake and put it in the refrigerator, and I put the ice cream in the freezer before turning around and getting a good look at the place. Bonnie was now wearing a pretty white chiffon dress with white flower embroidery with Grecian sandals. Katie was wearing a black chiffon tunic dress with a studded collar, and Dan had a black pinstriped suit on but his tie was loosened.
Just as I finished setting out the food, the doorbell rang and when I opened up, I found Devon Murray, with Angelica Mandy—the girl who had portrayed Fleur’s younger sister Gabrielle in Goblet of Fire—on his arm. Angelica had on a baby blue lacy slip dress and Devon had a bit of a sleazy smile. After all he had done to Bonnie—leading her on forever and then doing nothing about it—I secretly disliked him. I welcomed them kindly all the same, though, and when I had showed them around, I pulled Bonnie aside. She had been fine about Devon since then, but had a less than fine look when she saw Angelica throwing herself at him and kissing him.
“Bons, are you going to be okay with this? Because I can…um…if you’re not going to be okay with it, I can send them off. I don’t care about them, just you!” but Bonnie laughed and gave me a hug. “Oh, I’m fine! I just find it interesting…I had the same situation with both of them. I loved Devon and he rejected me, and I wanted to be Angelica’s friend, and she ignored me. So I guess they’re perfect for each other!” Bonnie laughed and when she saw that I still looked concerned, she reassured me. “Oh, Kellie, don’t worry! I don’t need Devon. I’m in love with James. Anyways, he’ll be arriving soon, so let’s get back out to the party.”
When we returned from my bedroom, Tiana and Emma had arrived—Tiana in a gorgeous citrus-red chiffon dress with equally delicious peep-toes, and Emma in a playful sky-blue Emilio Pucci swirl dress. I realized I was still in my casual clothes and guests were beginning to arrive quickly, so I ran back to my bedroom and found the garment bag hanging on my closet door. I unzipped it, careful not to snag any edges, and produced the beautiful cream summer dress with brown daisies I had found from Vera Wang. I slipped the dress on and changed out of my chunky pumps and into some very glam brown snakeskin peep-toes. I checked my hair in the mirror quickly before returning to the main room.
People began arriving quickly—Clemence, who wore a dark teal chiffon dress that hit just below the knee, with a black built-in obi; Andrea, who wore a black Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress with large white polka dots; and Charlotte Skeoch, who played Hannah Abbot, in a champagne-colored shirt dress with tonal polka dots and a pearl and chain belt. I talked to everyone for a while, and my immediate dislike for Angelica—I had never met her before, but her attitude right away was one I didn’t take a liking to—seemed to be spot on.
When I went to talk to Angelica, making sure I was friendly to everyone, she first ignored me when I said hello. “Erm, excuse me?” I said, staying polite, and Angelica turned to look at me with a bit of annoyance in her eyes. “Oh, hello.” She said blandly, and I cleared my throat and held out my hand. “I’m Kellie Holt. It’s great to meet you.” Angelica shook my hand unenthusiastically and then spotted Devon chatting with Dan and said, “Oh, I’ve got to speak with Devon. See you” and she went off to fling her arms around Devon and not let go the rest of the evening. I was a bit confused at first, but brushed it off when the buzzer rang. I opened the door to find Amelia in a beautiful deep purple Zac Posen dress. “Hey, Amelia! You look great. Thanks so much for coming!” I said, pulling the door all the way open to let Amelia in.
As Bonnie greeted James at the door with a kiss and a hug, Amelia and I began talking about her wedding plans, which she had recently asked me to help her with. “I really appreciate your help, Kellie, I know you’ve got a crazy schedule and planning a wedding isn’t easy, let alone a royal one, so this means so much to me. Listen, to make up for all your help, I want to buy your outfit for the engagement party. Will you allow it?” she said, squeezing my hand. I laughed, “Of course! I can never pass up the offer of a new outfit. And besides, I’d be helping you whether or not I got a new dress out of it, even if I wasn’t your maid of honor. That’s what friends are for, after all!” Amelia gave me a huge hug and we made plans to go shopping the next weekend.
After a few more minutes of replacing empty food trays with full ones, cleaning up the occasional spill, and chatting with guests, the buzzer rang twice, and I knew it was Rupert—he always rang twice to let me know it was him. I told everyone to be very quiet and buzzed him up. Everyone took their hiding places behind couches and countertops and the cloth-covered table, and after I made sure nobody could be seen from the doorway, I pulled the door open. Rupert gave me a kiss and told me that I looked beautiful, and I wished him a happy birthday. Suddenly Rupert seemed to realize that my apartment looked different—there was the long table, the trays of food and beverages strewn about, and music playing.
Before Rupert could mention anything about my flat, the entire group of party-goers jumped out from their hiding places and cried, “Surprise!” Rupert laughed and looked around. “So, no Nobu tonight?” he said in mock-sadness, and as he closed the door, I put on some music and went over and hugged him.
By 11pm, nearly everybody had left. Only Bonnie, James, Katie, Dan, Devon, and Angelica were left with me and Rupert, and we were sitting around a table playing a nearly violent game of Nerts. Angelica kept tugging on Devon’s arm and whispering in his ear, and he would say, “Just one last game, okay babe?” but after that game, the same exact thing would happen. Finally, after five ‘last’ games, Angelica dropped her cards on the table and said, “Devon, I’m bored. You can stay if you’d like, but I’m going back to your apartment. I’ll see you when you get home.” And with that, she grabbed her clutch and left. Devon didn’t really seem fazed, and when he saw us all watching her go in shock, he said, “Oh, she’ll be all right, I’ll make it up to her when I go home. But for now, let’s play another game!”
I told everyone else to go on with the game, but opted out, and went out to the hallway, where Angelica was waiting for an elevator with her back to me. I could hear her sniffling, and could tell she was upset. “Angelica, are you okay?” I asked as I approached her. She jumped slightly when she heard my voice, and wiped her eyes as she turned around.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. That was a pretty foul way for Devon to say goodbye. Are you all right?” I asked in genuine concern, putting aside the fact that she had been rude to me earlier. Just as Angelica looked as though she was going to say something, the door to my apartment opened and Bonnie appeared in the hallway. “Hey, guys, is everything all right?” she asked, striding towards us with a concerned smile.
Angelica suddenly turned from soft to angry. “Yes, I’m fine.” She snapped, and with a ding! the elevator doors slid open. Angelica combed her fingers through her hair and stepped onto the elevator. Bonnie looked slightly taken aback, and just as the doors were about to close, Bonnie put her arm through the opening so that they bounced back open. “Angelica, is there a problem? And don’t even say no, I know it’s a lie.” She demanded, and Angelica turned back with a softer look on her face.
“It’s just; Devon is practically in love with you. I know he is. That’s the only reason he wants to stay at the party. All I want is for him to love me, but he just won’t.” She said, and she walked out of the elevator, leaned against the wall, and slumped down to the floor. I felt so bad for her, I sat down next to her, and Bonnie joined us on her other side.
“Angelica, Devon and I had a thing when we were younger. We didn’t go out, we didn’t kiss, and nothing happened whatsoever. I liked him, and he liked me, but I’ve gotten over that. I knew nothing would ever happen between us, so I moved on. He’s all yours, hon.” Bonnie put her arm around Angelica and, in a surprising move, Angelica leaned her head on Bonnie’s shoulder.
“It’s okay. I’ve decided, just now, that I can do better. I think I’m done. I want someone who will fall in love with me, and only me. Thank you girls so much.” I was surprised that she had come to this decision so quickly, but glad of it. Angelica wiped her eyes, stood up, and said, “I appreciate the fact that you even attempted to talk to me, without you I might have just left and put up with him a bit longer, and I know I would’ve been miserable.” Angelica hugged both of us, and then hit the down button on the elevator and stepped inside.
“By the way, here’s my number. I already have yours from the invitation, Kellie, and I still have yours from the cast directory, Bonnie. I’d like to get to know both of you better. Let’s hang out some time, okay?” Angelica handed me and Bonnie a piece of paper, and stepped back as the elevator doors dinged and slid shut. Bonnie and I stood there for a moment, and then prepared to return to the party, where Devon wouldn’t go home for another hour and a half—and Bonnie knew better than to humor his flirting.
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“Kellie, hey, it’s Amelia.” A pretty French accent flowed through the room when I got home from the set one Friday evening. It had been a particularly long day and I had a throbbing migraine and sore feet. I dropped my purse on the table and ran my fingers through my hair, listening up for Amelia’s message.
“Listen, I have a little surprise for you. I’m going to Paris tomorrow for the fitting of my wedding gown. Since you’re the maid of honor, I would love it if you’d come with me. It’ll be for the weekend, for the fitting, and then we can just enjoy Paris. I’m getting an Elie Saab couture gown! Anyways, it would mean the world if you came. So please say yes!” I knew there was no way I could say no—the offer of a trip to Paris to go to a couturier to oversee a fitting was a dream come true! I picked up my phone to dial Amelia’s number, but then looked at the clock—midnight.
It was as if Amelia had known exactly what I was thinking, however, as she remedied my worries right away. “I know it may be late when you get home from the set tonight, but don’t even worry. I’ll be too busy packing and too excited to sleep before 1am, so call me back anytime. I won’t hate you if you wake me up!”
As soon as the message clicked off, I dialed Amelia’s number. She answered, obviously expecting my call. “So will you come with me?” she cried out the moment she answered. I laughed and told her I would love to go. “Oh good! I’m packing my things right now and I was afraid you might say no, I just don’t want to do this without you. So we’re taking the royal jet, and it’s scheduled to leave at 9am, so I’ll have a car pick you up at 8:15, okay?”
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At 8 am on Friday I found myself sitting idly on my couch. I had a suitcase sitting next to me and had spent an hour perfecting my jet-setting look just in case we were spotted by paparazzi—not that I cared about the pictures, but I loved the idea of the glamorous life of a jet-setter, and was willing to play the part whenever possible. I was wearing a black cowl-neck sweater dress that hit right below my knee which was cinched at the waist by a wide black belt covered in mismatched buttons. I tapped my black signature Christian Louboutin wedges with wooden heels and oversized Jackie-O-style Oscar de la Renta shades.
Just as I though I might go crazy waiting for the ride—I was so excited I had called Rupert at 7am, when I knew he would be on set, to fill him in—the buzzer rang in my flat. I jumped off of the couch and grabbed my classic red quilted Chanel bag, which offset the rest of my black outfit. When I made it downstairs, sleek black suitcase in tow, the doorman tipped his hat and took my suitcase, putting it in the trunk of the black car that waited in the drive. There were small British flags on the front, and it was definitely gaining the attention from people passing by as they strolled down the busy city sidewalks.
When I arrived at the private airstrip, the car drove me straight into an airplane hangar, where Amelia was waiting by the steps leading up to the jet. As I stepped out, she ran over to hug me. The driver got my suitcase out of the trunk and a man loaded it into the bottom of the jet. A flight attendant was standing at the top of the stairs with a smile, and as Amelia and I ascended the stairs, she stood aside and let us on. “Welcome to the British Royal Jet. Our flight today will be from London to Paris and take approximately one hour and forty-two minutes. Please make yourselves comfortable and we’ll be off within ten minutes. Enjoy the flight!”
I sat down on a plush leather couch, and Amelia sat on the one facing me. “So here’s the plan I’ve kind of made out for the day, though it can change at any time if we need it to.” Amelia said, pulling out a deep fuchsia croc-bound notepad and read off of it. “When we arrive, we’ll check into our hotel, the Hotel Napoleon, and drop our things off. My appointment at Elie Saab is at noon, so we’ll grab lunch and then go there. After that, we’ve got the rest of the day to do whatever we’d like, so if there’s anywhere in particular that you would like to go, I’m up for it.”
Amelia and I talked for a bit, and she showed me the beautiful sketch of her gown—an antique lace strapless gown with a full skirt and a delicate lace veil. It was simple but extravagant, and I knew Amelia would look incredible in it. After a while, the strain of a late night and an early morning made my eyes heavy. I grabbed the navy blue cashmere blanket on the arm of the couch and covered myself with it, laying my head on the throw pillow and drifting into sleep.
An hour later, Amelia woke me up by gently tugging on my arm. “Kellie, wake up! We’ve landed, we’re in Paris.” She said with a smile, and I sat up and looked around. Through the window of the jet I could see that we were on the tarmac of another private airport, so I stood up, folded the blanket, and smoothed my hair back. “Oh, and beware, there are paparazzi waiting outside. It seems someone notified the Parisian press of our arrival. But we’ve got two bodyguards waiting outside to escort us today—they’re my permanent bodyguards now that I’m going to be in the royal family…”
Amelia looked ready to go in a tan velvet blazer with ink-blue skinny jeans tucked into tan suede ankle-boots, with a colorfully striped summery scarf wrapped around her neck. I smoothed out my dress, slipped my shoes on, and grabbed my purse. As we stepped off of the plane, half-dozen paparazzi gathered around behind a small barricade. The bodyguards were waiting at the foot of the stairs for us, and as Amelia and I stepped onto the tarmac, they came to stand next to us.
We passed the crowd, not bothering to answer their questions as we were in a hurry, and slipped away into the limo idling nearby. As the car drove away and the paparazzi crowd got smaller and smaller, my phone received service and I saw that I had missed a call from Molly, my agent. As my voicemail clicked on, Molly’s voice rang out, “Kellie! I just got an amazing call. Carolina Herrera wants you to be her celebrity model! She said something about wanting a younger appeal, and that she loved you when she met you at a Missoni dinner party. Call me as soon as you can, we’ll set up a meeting with her when you get back from Paris!”
I couldn’t believe it. As I shut my phone, Amelia noticed the shocked look on my face, and put her hand on my arm. “Oh, Kellie, is something wrong?” she asked, sounding concerned. I tucked my phone into my purse and smiled. “Nothing’s wrong at all. I’m going to be Carolina Herrera’s celebrity spokes model.” The next thing I heard was a high-pitched scream from Amelia, and I immediately thought something awful had happened.
“Oh my gosh, Kellie, that’s amazing!” she cried, and I laughed at the confusion. We talked about it the entire way to the hotel, of the free clothes I would get, and the amazing people I would meet. When we finally arrived at the hotel, we had covered just about every aspect of the situation, and grew silent, with silly grins on our faces.
It was 11 by time we arrived at our hotel, so when Amelia and I got into our beautiful suite, we quickly freshened up so we could grab a quick lunch before the fitting. I pulled my curled hair back into a ponytail and changed into a strapless leopard print silk tunic with a black cardigan, dark jeans, and deep purple round-toe pumps. I slicked on a bit of lip gloss and put my suitcase next to my bed. Amelia came out of the bathroom in a cream silk cami, a teal and brown floral chiffon skirt, and teal and bronze croc sandals. Her black hair was swept back into a loose bun and she smiled when she saw me. “You look so cute!” she said, admiring my shoes. I grabbed my black leather rosette clutch from the bed and put my room key in it. As I took my sunglasses from the bedside table, Amelia slung her bronze beaded bag over her shoulder and we set out to find some lunch.
One hour later, I was sitting in the Elie Saab couturier looking through a look book with Amelia. She was trying to find the gown she was having made for her wedding to show me as we were waiting for Elie to finish an important overseas phone call. Amelia finally found it, and revealed to me a sleek beaded dress with a skirt that flowed out at the bottom into a cathedral-length train and had a sheer cape that blended into the veil. I gasped when I saw it, amazed at the beauty. Just as Elie Saab walked down the stairs in a black suit, we stood up to greet him and he kissed both of our hands politely. “Good day, ladies, I am Elie Saab. Are you ready for your fittings?”
I didn’t even register the fact that he had said ‘fittings’ plural, and simply followed Elie and Amelia up the stairs into the fitting room. There were sketches of beautiful designs pinned up on one wall, dress forms with muslin dresses spread out all over, and a desk covered in fabric samples, notes, a computer, and many, many design ideas. Elie motioned towards a couch beneath the window and Amelia and I took a seat. He pulled out an easel and revealed a large sketch of Amelia’s wedding gown, and began describing it in detail.
Elie began pulling out fabric swatches and handing them to me and Amelia to see up close and touch. As he finished describing Amelia’s dress, Elie lifted the pad of drawing paper off of the easel. Underneath, there lay a second slab of paper. On the very first sheet was a sketch of a pale blue strapless gown with a wrapped jersey and a beaded chiffon dress. Elie smiled at the look of amazement on my face and said, “You like it, no?” I looked over to Amelia, who was smiling at me.
“Kellie, you said you’d be my bridesmaid, and I want you to wear your first ever couture gown to my wedding.” I stared back at the sketch, my chin dropped, and Elie once again began talking. “This gown is layered with the finest silk chiffon in all of Paris. It is hand-beaded with Swarovski crystals and will take about four months to complete.” I looked back at Amelia, still speechless, and blinked a few times before finally saying, “Amelia! You’re my hero!”
After three hours of fittings, during which two lovely models showed the versions of our gowns that Elie had sent down the runway, Amelia and I made appointments for our next fittings, which would have to be separate, and left the studio. As we arrived at our hotel, Amelia said, “Oh, by the way, William got us into Karl Lagerfeld’s champagne party tonight, for his Don Perignon Rose champagne. Do you want to go?” I thought it was funny the way Amelia just casually asked—this was something I would have been obsessing over for weeks beforehand. However, I kept calm and said, “Oh, sure. Sounds good, but I don’t have any Chanel to wear. And isn’t that kind of common courtesy?”
As Amelia slid the card through the door handle and opened the door to our suite, she said, “Well, I brought a bunch of Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld stuff, you can borrow whatever you want!” When we got inside, I kicked off my shoes and pulled my hair down, looking forward to a bit of rest before the party that evening. Amelia went out onto the terrace to sunbathe a bit, and I changed into some Juicy sweats, a tank top, and a fluffy cardigan. I grabbed the phone, hopped on the bed, and dialed Rupert’s number.
“’lo? Rupert’s voice rang out quickly when he answered. I could tell he was busy, most likely in his dressing room between scenes on set. “Hey, hon, what’s up?” I asked cheerfully, but to a sad reply. “Oh, hey Kellie…how’s Paris?” he asked drearily.
“Rupert, is something wrong? You sound worried.” I was concerned, and found myself biting the sleeve of my cardigan. “Oh, no, I’m just kind of…torn. I don’t know if you’ve talked to Molly, but apparently there’s a deal being made for a reality miniseries of all of us, my agent doesn’t want it but WB does, so I don’t know what to do…I know I should do what my agent advises, but a show would be great fun!”
I hadn’t heard about the reality show, but I was planning on calling Molly next about the Carolina Herrera deal anyway, so I figured I would find out then. “I don’t know, Rupert…but I’d say if you really want that, and if WB wants it—publicity for the films and all—then you should do it! I mean, your agent will be annoyed, surely, but what’s the worst he can do?”
Rupert and I chatted for a bit more, and when we hung up, he had made up his mind that taking the deal was the right thing to do. I next called Molly’s office to talk about all of the recent events that had come up.
“Triad Agencies, Molly Bailey’s office, how can I help you?” rang out the voice of Molly’s assistant Jessica. “Oh, hi, Jessica, it’s Kellie. Is Molly available right now?” I asked, and Jessica’s voice suddenly got sappy and tender. “Oh, hiiiiii, Kellie! So good of you to ca-a-all!” I assumed that every time a celebrity called Jessica got this way, but it was still incredibly annoying the way she elongated her vowels.
“Yes…thanks. Um, so can you please connect me with Molly? It’s a very important matter.” I finally interrupted Jessica’s kissing-up and became a bit more assertive, as I really wanted to talk to Molly, not her assistant. “Hello, Kellie? How are you, dear?” Molly said the moment she picked up her phone. “I’m so glad you phoned, I thought I wouldn’t hear from you until you returned from Paris!”
“Hey Molly! Oh my gosh, I got your message about Carolina Herrera—and of course I’ll do it! That’s an incredible opportunity.” I burst out right away, unable to contain my excitement. Molly had apparently been expecting it, as she said, “Great! I’ve already contacted Carolina and she’ll be in Wednesday to work out a contract, why don’t you come in then as well and we’ll figure it all out. Say, 1 o’clock?”
Next, Molly began listing everything that had come up since our last call—and it seemed I was becoming quite well-known, as my fan mail had doubled since the month before. “Okay, so first of all, WB is in negotiation with all of the agents for the Harry Potter cast, trying to put together a mini reality series based around all of you. I think it’s a fantastic idea, though a few of the other agents aren’t so sure, but what do you think of it? Basically a camera crew will be following all of the core cast—being you, Rupert, Emma, Dan, and Bonnie—for two months during filming.” As Molly explained the basis of the show, my interest was peaked—only a year earlier, the idea of myself on a reality show was ridiculous. Nobody knew who I was, and I didn’t expect that they would any time soon. However, now I was a famous actress being asked to star on a reality documentary show, and I decided that it was an incredible opportunity.
“I think it sounds great, Molly.” I answered enthusiastically as she finished. “I was talking to Rupert earlier and he wants to do it but his agent isn’t so sure, but I told him he should just do it—after all, it’s his overall choice, not his agent’s. I think it sounds like a fantastic, fun experience.” Molly seemed happy with that answer, and moved on in her list of events. “Hmm, let’s see…Elie Saab just called me to notify me of your appointment in two weeks for your second fitting for the bridesmaid gown. Sounds good…okay, Yellowcard wants you to do a duet with them on their upcoming song ‘View from Heaven.’”
When I heard this, I sat upright in the bed. “What did you say?” I asked quickly, worried I had misheard what Molly was telling me. However, she repeated the exact words I had heard, and I couldn’t believe it. “I love Yellowcard! Tell them yes!” I had met Ryan Key, the lead singer and guitarist, at the Los Angeles Order of the Phoenix premiere, and afterwards he had of course seen me do karaoke at the after-party. I suppose Ryan had liked my singing, why else would he have offered a spot for me to do a duet?
Molly took a moment to write this down, and then said, “Great. You’ll meet with the band next Thursday over lunch to discuss the song, 12:30 at Fin. I’ve got a meeting so I won’t be able to make it, but you’ll be okay.” Molly took a moment and I heard paper rustling, so she was likely looking through her notes. “Oh, and lastly, WB has granted you a week off to go home to Arizona for your birthday. Oh, and I understand you’re going to the Don Perignon Rose party tonight, you’ll be doing a 15 minute interview with Vogue and a 10 minute interview with Glamour during the party. And you can tell them about the things we’ve been talking about, but make sure they know that nothing has been decided for sure with the show, and you haven’t done the contract with Carolina yet.” I began to wonder how Molly always knew what was happening right away, but didn’t have a chance to ask, because the next thing I knew she was hanging up to take another call.
When I got off the phone with Molly, I jumped off the bed and ran outside. “Oh my gosh, Amelia, you’ll never guess what I just found out!” I gushed, sitting down on the lounge chair next to her. Amelia sat up and pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. “What’s up?” “Well, I just got off the phone with my agent, Molly, and I’ve got so many great things going on. Not only am I going to be the spokes model for Carolina Herrera, but I’m also going to be in a mini documentary reality series with the Harry Potter cast, and I’m doing a duet with Yellowcard for one of their new songs!” Amelia couldn’t believe my luck—she began saying, “Yellowcard, reality show, and Carolina? That’s amazing!”
We both went inside after this to begin getting ready for the party. I slipped into a slim black skirt that kicked out at the knee and a red 40’s style button down sweater with a portrait neckline from Amelia’s collection, and black satin peep-toes with a rhinestone bow on the front which were my own. Just as I put in some black chandelier earrings, Amelia came over and began playing with my hair, which was up in a curly updo. “You’ll be so hot in those Carolina Herrera ads, I can’t wait! Plus, you’ll get to meet her celebrity customers—like Renee Zellweiger!” she hadn’t been able to stop talking about it since I first told her the news. Amelia was wearing a black strapless Chanel dress with pastel clam-style squiggles and metallic pale pink strappy heels with her hair up in a sleek bun with her bangs swept to the side.
“You look great, by the way!” I said as we stepped into the elevator. A pair of young girls got on a few floors down and began speaking excitedly in French. Obviously they had forgotten that Amelia was born and raised in France—she had only lived in London for two years, since she and William started dating. Amelia whispered to me that they were talking about us, and then, with a mischievous giggle, she joined in on the conversation in unfaltering French. The girls got an awed look on their face, and I couldn’t help but laugh at their surprise. When they got off the elevator, Amelia explained what they were saying.
“See, the short one in the red coat was saying she thinks the colors on my dress are strange, but the tall red-head said it didn’t matter because it was Chanel, and everything Chanel is wonderful. And then I said, ‘well, it doesn’t really matter who the designer is, as long as the person wearing it is wearing it well…’ and they were stunned! It was wonderful.” Amelia and I climbed into our limo and rode to the
Parisian Chanel store, where the party had already started.
When I got inside, I immediately took in the contents of the room. First of all, three quarters of the party-goers were wearing black. Jessica Simpson sat at a table in a black mini with a deep V schmoozing with a handsome man. Kimora Lee was gulping a glass of champagne in a burgundy satin number, and right away I realized the reason for this—across the room stood her ex-husband, up close and personal with a hot younger girl. Courtney Love was half asleep, half alive as she hung onto a particularly ugly 20-something guy, and Paris Hilton was double-fisting with champagne classes as she laughed quite loud with a friend. Lindsay Lohan was posing in a way that told me she probably wanted to look edgy. And there, hanging onto her arm in the center of the room, stood Karl Lagerfeld. He was tall, grand, and regal with his thick white hair pulled into a ponytail and his deep purple and black 19th century style suit.
Amelia seemed to spot Karl at the same time as I did, and she quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowds toward the designer. Pushing past ogling onlookers and overexcited photographers, Amelia presented herself right in front of Karl, with me by her side. “Amelia! You’ve come, wonderful. Tres wonderful!” Karl double kissed and began chatting with her about her wedding, when he suddenly noticed that I was standing in on their conversation. “Oh, you must be the lovely Ms. Holt! Wonderful to meet you, my dear.” Karl kissed my hand and I replied gratefully, “It’s an honor, Mr. Lagerfeld, and thank you for having me at your party.”
After about fifteen minutes of chatting with Karl and Amelia—Lindsay was a bit miffed that her attention had been stolen by the future princess—a representative from Vogue found me and I followed her to a separate room for my interview. “Okay, Kellie, we don’t have much time so I’ll make this fast. I’m Anne Gache from American Vogue, pleasure to meet you. Now we’ve got 15 minutes, are you ready?” I nodded and pushed a strand of hair off my face as a photographer began snapping photos.
“I’ll ask you a series of questions for you to answer, but if you’re not able to, feel free to let me know.” Anne said, setting her tape recorder on the table between us. I nodded again, not quite sure what to say, and Anne consulted her clipboard. “Okay, you and Rupert have been dating for a few months now, but you seem committed in a true adult relationship. How is this different from past relationships you’ve had?”
I smiled at the mention of Rupert. “There’s this sort of chemistry between us that I can’t describe. We just work things out, always make sure we’re both happy. When we’re apart for a while, we miss each other so much, like when I go home between filming. I think with my past relationships there has been love, but not to this amazing extent. When my boyfriend was home in Arizona and I was here, it was a bit sad, but I kind of learned to deal with it. I don’t want to be apart from Rupert.”
Anne was jotting down notes as she simultaneously asked, “You came here tonight with Amelia. Are you two very close?”
“Amelia is so wonderful. We met last March, and we’re both quite busy with things, but we’ve managed to get together a lot. Due to busy schedules, our friendship has mostly developed over shopping sprees, coffee shop visits, and phone calls. But we’ve become incredible friends, she’s even asked me to be her maid of honor, and we’re in Paris this weekend to have our dress fittings.”
“Does this mean you get a couture gown as well for the wedding?”
“Yes, it’s the most incredible gown I’ve ever seen. I never expected to be having a couture gown made for me less than one year after coming into the acting business, so it truly is a dream come true.”
“What do you think of Karl’s champagne?”
“I’m no expert, but I must say it’s very good. I’m not yet 18, so I’m not of legal age in Britain, nor 21 for America, but here I’m legal. But I’m limiting myself to two glasses. I find it pointless to drink a lot. But this is some truly good champagne!”
“You seem to be set apart from the typical Hollywood girl—in a very good way. Do you feel pressure to act a certain way in front of cameras?”
“I do feel a bit of pressure in a way. I try to be myself, but it can be so hard sometimes. I don’t want to be anything like what you were saying, those typical Hollywood girls, I want to be unique. I try to be a role model for younger girls, I want them to see that you don’t have to be like everyone else and fit into the cookie cutter standard. You have to stand out a bit, that’s what makes you truly special.”
Anne finished writing on her board and said, “Thank you for the interview, Kellie. A representative from another magazine is supposed to be here in a moment to interview you.” And she gathered her things and left, followed by the photographer. Two minutes later, a red-head entered the room with a notepad and pen in hand. “Kellie, wonderful to meet you! My name is Candice Washburn, and I’m from Glamour UK. Are you ready for the interview?”
I shook Candice’s hand and agreed to begin. Rather than straight-out questions, Candice threw out conversation starters for me to answer to.
“You’re in a media-frenzied relationship with Rupert Grint.” She began.
“Yes, I am! We’ve been dating for a little over four months now, though we didn’t come out with it right away. Katie and Dan were just coming out to the media in a relationship they had been in for quite a while right after we started dating, so we decided not to take the excitement away from them. We decided to do the premiere in Paris, because it just seemed so romantic. I had on this pretty romantic Temperley dress, and it was so perfect. I’m so happy.”
“What’s your favorite thing about Rupert?”
“Oh, there are so many things I love about him; I could never just narrow it down to one. But he’s just so romantic, and it’s something that might be unexpected to people that don’t know him.”
“What are your plans for the near future?”
“So many opportunities have suddenly come up for me. I’ve been asked to be Carolina Herrera’s spokes model, and we’ll be meeting to write up a contract later this week. There are negotiations over a reality documentary in which the main Potter cast will be followed around by cameras for two months documenting our time on set. It sounds really interesting. I’ve also just been asked by Yellowcard to do a duet with them on a new song they’ve written called “View From Heaven” and I can’t believe it! I love that band. It’s amazing what opportunieis have come up recently.
“Speaking of opportunity, what types of movies would you like to do?”
“Oh, I’m open for everything! I hope people can see that I can do more than just one genre of film. I’d love to do comedy, and I think a musical would be so much fun. And I wouldn’t mind doing a scary movie or something…I think that would be a cool experience. As long as it won’t give me nightmares!”
“What have been your biggest splurges?”
“Oh, I suppose my car—a 2007 Mustang—which isn’t really an expensive car, but I’ve never bought a car, and I love Mustangs. I also bought this incredible Ralph Lauren Dress, as well as a Dolce & Gabanna one, for the premieres, because I just couldn’t pass them up. They were both incredible!”
“Any guilty pleasure shows?”
“Of course! The Nanny and Hannah Montana. I’ve been watching The Nanny for years. I love Fran Drescher!”
“And the voice?”
“It’s great. I get like that late at night, my voice gets all groggy and I can fake a Fran Fine voice! It’s not pretty.”
“Do you think you have a lot of internet imposters?”
“I don’t know, but if I do, I hope nobody falls for that. I mean, if someone says they’re the real Kellie Holt and they have “Luna”, “Lovegood”, or “Potter Girl” on it, trust me. That’s not me. I would never come out to everybody I talk to that I don’t really know and say it’s me. I do have a livejournal and a myspace. I don’t, however, advertise myself on either of them. I have the same friends I’ve had on Livejournal since before I started acting, and when I do add new friends, I make sure I can trust that they won’t tell everybody they know how to find me. And on myspace, I don’t add people I don’t know!”
“Do you feel you’re being changed by the views of Hollywood?”
“Nope. I’m still me, no matter what other people want me to be. How boring would life be if you had to spend all your time focusing on pretending to be someone you’re not? Incredibly boring.”
“We’ve heard Nicole Kidman is your acting inspiration. Who’s your style icon?”
“Oh, I absolutely love the style of Scarlett Johansson. She’s not afraid of anything and she flaunts her best features. Jessica Alba has a very sweet and flirty, and incredibly fashion-forward style. And I admire Eve, who has this urban, strong, and still feminine look.”
“And what’s your personal style?”
“I guess I’m still experimenting, but I like very girly looks for the glam events, though I’m
a lot more casual in every-day life. I wear a lot of jeans and t-shirts.”
“Your hair is incredible.”
“Thanks! I get it done by this wonderful lady, April Martino, who owns Il Salone di April in London. When I’m in Phoenix my sister’s friend Stephanie Koch does it, I’ve been going to her for a few years now. She co-owns the Koch University of Beauty, a beauty school in Phoenix. She’s great!”
“We’re running out of time, you’re just so intriguing! Any last thoughts?”
“Why thank you! Well, I must say I’ve been a big fan of Glamour for a few years now. Everything is so wearable and easy to do no matter what your budget. Keep up the good work! And thank you for the interview!”
As Candice shut off her tape recorder, she thanked me for the interview and shook my hand. She left, and I took a moment to check my makeup in my compact before going back out to the party. I found Amelia talking to Jaime Pressley, who was wearing a coral Cacharel crinkled silk dress. I introduced myself to the very polite, upbeat TV star, and we talked for a while before Amelia and I decided to retire for the night. We had an early flight the next morning, so we went straight back to the hotel to pack and go to sleep.
When I arrived back in London the next day, I said goodbye to Amelia and took a cab back to my flat, where seventeen messages were waiting. The first four were from Molly, followed by two from Rupert, two from Emma, three from my parents and sister, two from Katie, three from friends in Arizona, and the last one was another from Molly.
Most of the messages were words of congratulations, obviously word of the new deals had spread quickly. I made a note of who to thank for the messages as the last message clicked on. “Kellie! Hi, it’s Molly. You’re probably on the plane right now but I just wanted to let you know, after a long meeting last night, negotiations are through and the reality show is on! I’ll just need you to come in as soon as possible to sign the contract, they want to start filming Wednesday—really soon, I know! But anyways, call me as soon as you get this, or just drop by and I’ll fit you in. See you!”
I always loved my messages from Molly these days, now that she was cheery and fun instead of her old strict self. She had met a fantastic guy and fallen in love, and she had completely changed for the better because of that. I picked up my phone and called Molly, and she asked if I could come in right away, as she had an opening for the next hour. When I hung up, I quickly went to change, not wanting to go out in public in the rumpled clothing I had worn on the plane. I slipped into a powder pink jersey empire waist dress with sheer brown tights, a cream cashmere sweater, and taupe satin Pedro Garcia pumps.
As I ran out the door, my cell phone started ringing. When I answered, Rupert was on the other line. “Kellie! Have you heard the news? The show is on!” he cried from the other end of the line. “I finally just told my manager that I was going to do it, and he gave in!” Rupert and I talked a bit, and when I was suddenly bombarded by paparazzi outside of the agency, I had to hang up because I couldn’t hear him anymore. “Kellie, we’ve heard about your singing debut. Will you be releasing a solo album soon?” one man shouted, shoving a recorder in front of me. “Kellie! How’s it working out with Carolina Herrera?” a lady cried out from the back. One reporter even asked, “Are you planning on doing any nude scenes in future movies?” I had just about had it when the security guard finally came to my rescue. He helped me inside and warded of the paparazzi, and I thanked him as I made my way to the elevator and up to Molly’s office.
Once I had made it past Jessica’s scary elongated vowels, I pushed the door open to Molly’s office to find her on the phone, so I sat in the plush leather chair and enjoyed the city view from her office window. Finally, Molly got off the phone and we began talking. She read the terms of my contract and we both signed it. When I left the office, I called Rupert back to finish our conversation. “Hey, do you want to get some dinner to celebrate the show tonight? I thought maybe we could get some sushi at Nobu or something. What do you think?”
I quickly drove back to my apartment and changed into a deep green chiffon dress with a smocked waist and a deep V neck, with a pair of dusty pink suede round-toe pumps from Charlotte Ronson. Twenty minutes later, Rupert picked me up, looking sharp in a black button-down shirt and black pants. “Hey, beautiful. Congratulations on the Yellowcard duet and Carolina Herrera! You deserve it.” He said as he kissed me on the cheek and took my hand. We went out for dinner and talked about our excitement, as well as worry, about the show. After all, we would be followed around basically non-stop for two months. I worried about getting my apartment clean in three days with my schedule, but Rupert reassured me that my apartment looked just fine.
When I finally got home that night, I was tired from jet lag and dancing at a club with Rupert, so I slipped out of my dress, put my pajamas on, and fell fast asleep.
Wednesday had come quickly, and I was rushing around my apartment, making sure everything looked okay. The camera crew had called about two minutes prior, letting me know they had arrived and just needed to unload their equipment and they would be right up. This had launched me into a nervous tangent of dusting, straightening, and adjusting every single item in my apartment. I had on a grey wool blazer with the collar slightly popped and a grey skirt, and just as I slipped into my brown leather round-toe pumps, I heard a knock on the door. “Just a minute!” I called, and scanned the room for any mess-ups before opening the door.
One hour later I was sitting in the boardroom at the agency. Molly and I were sitting together on one side of the short boardroom table, Carolina Herrera, in a crisp white blouse, black cuffed capris, and a black fur vest, was at the other end with her lawyer, and Jessica sat in the middle, taking notes on her laptop. The camera crew was walking around, finding perfect angles to shoot moments, and occasionally even asking us to repeat things so they could focus in on us. It was a bit awkward, but I figured I would quickly get used to it.
The entire meeting whizzed by very quickly, but a few things stood out in a way that I couldn’t get them out of my head. Carolina first mentioned that, along with appearing in magazine spreads and ads, I would be receiving the entire fall and spring line of her collection, as well as every collection following for as long as I was spokes model. I would also be attending her upcoming spring collection show—the following week--in New York and London along with a load of other designers that my signing with her had automatically gained. When the meeting was over, Carolina and I each signed our parts and shook hands. She then invited me to her studio Friday morning before our plane to New York left to pick out some fashion week clothes. As I was about to leave, Carolina added, “Kellie, I’d like you to bring one guest with you to the shows, all expenses paid. I’m sure Rupert would enjoy it, if he can manage to get away from the set for a week. Let me know whoever you’re bringing this weekend, and I look forward to seeing you Friday!”
I couldn’t stop beaming as I walked down the hall to the elevator. The camera crew followed along as I glided through the lobby and through the paparazzi waiting outside, straight into the car that was waiting for me. We zipped along through London until we got to my flat, where I was going to change before going to the set. I quickly changed into an ivory tank top, a red Anthropologie argyle wrap sweater, and dark Levi’s. I stepped into a pair of blue starry Marc Jacobs sneakers and ran out the door, where the car and camera crew were waiting.
When we arrived at the studios, I immediately spotted other camera crews milling around, following their subjects. Among them I managed to seek out Rupert, and as we began walking together, our camera crews decided to work together. My crew trailed behind us, as Rupert’s panned out in front, walking treacherously backwards. Rupert held my hand and began asking about the meeting. “Are you excited?” he asked as I finished retelling it. “Absolutely! This is such a once-in-a-lifetime chance; I can’t believe it’s mine.”
“Oh, and there’s something I wanted to ask you—watch that table!” I added a warning to the camera crew, and they barely avoided backing into a table full of scripts, “Carolina has offered for me to bring one guest to the shows, all expenses paid. So do you want to go to New York with me?” Rupert smiled. “Don’t you want to invite someone like Katie who loves fashion?” “No, she’s going to the London shows, and I want to enjoy New York again with you…after all, that was where we first started dating.”
Rupert squeezed my hand, and then kissed me on the forehead. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. When are we going?” I was filled with joy at his answer. “We leave Friday at 11am. Now, just so you know, fashionistas in New York during fashion week are like lions after their prey…they will shove and kick people with their stilettos just to get into the show. Do you think you can handle it?” Rupert laughed, but I could tell he knew it was sadly true.
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Thursday morning I woke up to the alarm clock. Today I would be meeting Ryan Key of Yellowcard for lunch to discuss my part in their upcoming song. I spent an hour after showering, fretting over what to wear. A suit would be too business-y, a dress would be too fancy. Should I do the rocker look? No. Should I do All-American girl? No, I’m in England! It took nearly an hour to decide on a cream cotton skirt with black embroidery. I quickly pulled my hair into a sweeping bun, clasped on a silver necklace with a blue bird pendant, and slipped my feet into black leather t-strap sandals.
The buzzer rang, indicating that the camera crew had arrived, so I grabbed my purse and slicked on some lip gloss before opening the door. “Hey guys, good morning. We’ve got to go right away, I’m meeting Ryan Key of Yellowcard to discuss my duet with the band.” The crew followed me down the hall, into the elevator, and out to my car. As we drove down the speedway, the sound guy began asking about my car. “How long have you had this mustang?” he asked, running his hand along the leather interior. I explained that I had bought it when I moved to London initially. “But I’m thinking of getting a new car…probably not until the new year, but I’d love to try something new.”
When we arrived at Fin, there was a lone paparazzo lingering by the door, waiting for the occasional star to make their way in and out of the restaurant. He snapped a few photos but I didn’t mind—inside the door I could see Ryan Key and the rest of the band waiting for me. I stepped inside and we were seated, and then the discussion started.
The guys in the band were friendly and fun. We talked for a half hour before anything about the duet even came up. Ryan finally handed over a sheet of music along with a CD labeled “View from Heaven music”. “This is just a piano version of the song, so you can get used to singing along with it. We haven’t recorded the music yet obviously…that will come later.”
After we ate, we agreed on a date to begin recording—two weeks after my birthday—then chatted a bit more before parting. As I was getting in my car, followed still by the camera crew, my phone rang and the tone indicated that it was Amelia. “Hey, hon!” I answered, “How’s it going? Being chased by the paps?” Amelia laughed. “Only everywhere I go! This is crazy. Anyways, listen! I heard you were leaving tomorrow for New York Fashion Week, but are you busy tonight? I’d love to hang out and take a break from wedding planning.” She was yelling slightly, and I could hear shouting in the background—she really was being surrounded by paparazzi at that moment.
“Oh, that sounds great. But is it okay if my camera crew follows?” I asked, glancing over at the eager camera man, sound guy, and assistant producer that had been following me. “I don’t mind—I’m pretty much desensitized to cameras by now. So anyway, whatever we do, let’s make sure it gives us an excuse to look cute—and maybe even make fools of ourselves.” Amelia joked. I could tell she was stressed, so I was glad I was available that night, to get her mind off of the wedding for a while.
“Well! I say we go club hopping. Nothing crazy, just a little dancing. We can grab dinner beforehand too. How about Moda?” Amelia agreed with me and when I hung up, I was already back to my flat. I had a few hours before I was going to meet Amelia for dinner, so I let the camera crew take a break and soaked in the bath tub. When they returned after an hour, I was wearing cranberry-colored American Eagle lounge pants and a gray cotton t-shirt. I was looking through my closet, trying to figure out what to wear, when the buzzer rang. I wasn’t expecting any visitors, so I checked the peephole to see a man in a sleek navy blue suit standing outside.
“Good day, Ms. Holt.” He said smoothly when I opened the door, “I’ve come to oversee the delivery of your collection from Carolina Herrera. I hope this is not a bad time?” I was surprised—I wasn’t expecting to get the actual collection for another few days, but I let him in anyway. He was followed by 7 men who pulled in garment rolling racks. I immediately knew I wouldn’t have enough room in my closet for all of that, so I asked them to transfer one rack into my closet, and leave the rest in the corner in my bedroom.
As the men filed out, the suited gentleman handed me a crisp paper linen envelope with a fuchsia wax seal and bid me good day. When they were gone, I quickly but carefully opened the beautiful envelope—the seal, I noticed, was emblazoned with “CH”—and the camera man filmed over my shoulder. Inside was a note that read:
Dear Kellie,
I hope you enjoy your new collection. This is the Fall/Winter 2007 collection with a few things from past seasons I thought you would enjoy. If you find there’s anything else from any past season you would like, let me know and I’ll see that you get it. Tomorrow morning when you come to my office, I will give you some pieces from the Spring/Summer 2008 collection, which I will be showing during Fashion Week. To get ahead in the fashion industry, it is imperative that you wear the up and coming pieces from each designer you see this week. I have chosen a selection of pieces from the various designers you will see at New York and London fashion weeks, so when you come tomorrow you will get to pick a few from each to wear. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
Carolina
The producer had me read the letter out loud so, as he said, “the TV audience will be able to hear what you’re reading.” When I was finished, I went into my room and went through the rack. There were tweed suits, rich printed dresses, plaid pants, turquoise frocks, and even a long fur-lined coat. In the accessory bags I found red suede pumps, black satin flats, turquoise peep-toes, various clutches, belts, and a few odd brooches. I was amazed by the entire new wardrobe that I had obtained in just seconds. I no longer needed to dig through my closet to find something that looked fresh—instead, I picked out a few cocktail dresses to decide between. Within ten minutes I had narrowed my selection to three. I had to choose between a sexy red floral print dress, a nude one with black lace across the chest and off-shoulder lace straps, and a unique dress with a turquoise sequined bodice, the rest of it white with abstract turquoise circles and black spin-art effect—as though someone had scattered black strings all over. I finally decided on the turquoise number and went into my closet to slip it on. I lathered some lotion on my legs and arms, applied my makeup, and picked out a pair of black satin Jimmy Choo slingbacks with a silver chain on the peep toe and a matching clutch of the same design.
When I arrived at Moda, Amelia was waiting just inside the door in a teal sequined party dress with nude leather pumps, her hair up in a casual updo. “Hey, you look gorgeous!” she cried, running over to give me a hug. After admiring each others’ outfits, Amelia clasped my hand and pulled me into the restaurant. We ate a decadent dinner—lobster tail, champagne, and white chocolate cake. When we had finished and paid the check, Amelia and I got in the royal car she had been escorted in, and were whisked off to Bungalow 8. We bypassed the line and slipped through the door, and as soon as our eyes had adjusted to the dim lighting, we were out on the floor dancing.
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“Good morning, Kellie!” Carolina was hugging me and pulling me into her boutique the next morning. “And Rupert, it’s lovely to see you again! Come on in, you two.” Rupert and I shuffled into the store, followed by the camera crew, I was all bundled a cobalt blue sweater, khaki wide-leg pants, and a black wool Marc Jacobs coat, as well as sheerling-lined suede gloves, brown suede flat boots, and a pink check Burberry scarf. Acting as my mother away from home, Carolina cried, “Dear, you have no hat! Your ears will freeze if you don’t wear one.” When she led us upstairs to her office, she grabbed a pointelle-knit hat off of an accessory rack and handed it to me. “I’ve been working on an accessory line for the winter collection, and this is an extra. You can have it, dear.”
As soon as I had shed my scarf, gloves, and coat, Caroline pulled out two rolling racks full of clothes. “This is only the beginning, dear.” She said with a laugh. “Most of these are borrowed so we’ll need to return them before we leave New York, but some of the designers would like you to keep the outfits, I’ll let you know which ones as we get to them.” Carolina instructed, “These are all outfits that are going to be shown this week, because in the fashion world if you want to stand out, you have to be ahead of the game. Unfortunately that means these are summer clothes in October, but we’ll figure out a way to make them work without giving you hypothermia!” She then pulled four hangers full of clothes off the rack. She explained that these outfits were from Alexander McQueen, and pointed me in the direction of her private fitting room, where I went to change.
Two and a half hours later we were finally finished. I had picked out an outfit for each of the 20 shows I would be seeing, including a satin rose-colored shift with subtle cherry blossom print for Carolina’s show. “Now, dear, I’d like you to have the entire line of accessories before we go, in case you need them to accessorize any of your outfits. Unfortunately we’ll have to wait until after the show for me to give you the entire collection, but I have picked out a few things I thought you would like. For the Vogue/W annual fashion week kick-off ball I’ve got a selection of gowns. There’s a lovely trench coat you might like for wearing around, and a few casual outfits. Oh, and I nearly forgot! You’ve also been invited to the CFDA’s post-fashion week ball as well, so you’ll need two gowns.”
After picking out two gorgeous dresses, we were ready to leave. All along, Carolina’s intern had been packing the outfits I picked into garment bags, and as soon as she finished, we all made our way downstairs, where a limo was waiting. Soon we were being whisked away to the airport and into Carolina’s private jet.
When we arrived in New York, the air was crisp and cold, but I gladly noted that it was not as bad as the weather had been in London. Rupert and I were staying at the Ritz-Carlton in two of the suites, while Carolina was returning to her New York penthouse. When Rupert and I got to the hotel, we went straight up to our rooms, the best Park View suites the hotel boasted, which were right next to each other. When I got inside, I unpacked my clothing, setting all of my fashion show outfits to one side. I changed into one of the outfits Carolina had given me, black linen pants with a soft, floaty white ruched blouse and a waist-cinching lace-covered belt. I put my wool coat over it and grabbed my Burberry sunglasses and my Marc Jacobs Stam bag and met Rupert in the hallway.
New York was where Rupert and I had gone on our first date, and it was full of amazing memories. We walked to Central Park, which our hotel overlooked, and sat on a bench for a while, people-watching, Rupert’s arm around my shoulder as I leaned on his. He kissed me on the head and we just sat and talked for a long time. The camera crew, after a while, announced that they were taking a break. They packed up and left and we told them we’d just meet back at the hotel before dinner.
Finally Rupert and I got up and walked along the path deeper into the park holding hands. That was when something came up that I had thought a lot about but hadn’t said aloud. Rupert stopped and turned to me. “Kellie, I know we have only been together for a while, but I really, truly love you. You’re amazing. Have—I don’t want this to be weird or anything, I’m just putting it out there for the future—but have you ever thought about getting married?”
My heart skipped a beat and I couldn’t stop a big cheesy grin from spreading across my face. I hugged Rupert. “I have thought about that, and when it happens, I know you’ll be the one, but not for a few more years. I’m not even 18 yet, and I don’t want to get married this young. Will you wait for me?” Rupert agreed that 18 was too young, and he had only just turned 19. “Let’s make a promise,” he said, “When you’re 20, we’ll talk about this again.”
When we returned to the hotel, I was full of blissful happiness. We went upstairs and decided to watch the sunset through the window of my room. Rupert and I sat on the bed in front of the window, and I drew up the chiffon Roman curtains. When the sun had finally set, Rupert turned and kissed me. I was so excited in the moment that I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him back fiercely. We lay back on the bed and rolled over. I knew exactly what I was doing and wasn’t afraid. I pulled off Rupert’s brown cashmere sweater and unbuttoned his shirt. His bare chest was perfectly muscular—not too much, not too little—and I found myself kissing it. Rupert was struggling to unfasten my belt, so I took it in my own hands. “You go get a condom, I’ll manage this.” I breathed.
Rupert was way ahead of the game. He pulled a condom out of his wallet and as I pulled my blouse off, he undid his pants. His boxers were on the floor in a split second and I shimmied my pants off, down to only my lacy La Perla bra and panties. Rupert put his hands around my waist as I knelt over him. “You’re okay with this, right?” he asked considerately. “I’ve never been more okay.” I whispered, and leaned down to kiss him. As I did so, Rupert unclasped my bra and flung it to the floor, then slipped my panties off. He rolled me over and straddled my body, breathing heavily. Then Rupert pushed in, and as soon as the quick pain ended, I was amazed. As he pushed in and out, I moved with his body. Rupert was moaning and I was sighing and gripping the bed sheets. The friction heated my body up and we climaxed at the same time. I couldn’t even attempt to suppress the cry of ecstasy that came out and I grabbed Rupert’s back. When he finally pulled out, Rupert collapsed on top of me. We were breathing heavily and he kissed my neck as I did the same to his shoulder.
“That was amazing. You’re amazing.” He moaned. We laid together for a while, exploring and kissing and tasting. It was my first time and I wanted to make the most of it—never be done. Suddenly I had an idea. I gave Rupert a long kiss on the mouth, then sat up and pulled him up. I made him sit on the edge of the bed, then I knelt on the floor in front of him and gave him head. Hearing his cries of pleasure was satisfying and wonderful.
Eventually we got up to get ready for our dinner with Carolina. Rupert went back to his room and I washed up and changed into a red floral satin dress from the fall collection Carolina had sent to me. I put my coat on and a pair of black heels and met Rupert downstairs in the lobby, where the camera crew was waiting. We went out to dinner and then to a club where we danced for a while, but I couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel with Rupert, and I knew he felt the same. Having sex for the first time had opened up a new area of our relationship, and I assumed we wouldn’t be spending much time in separate hotel rooms.
When we got back to the hotel, we parted from the camera crew in the lobby—their room was on the first floor, ours were further up. When we got to our hallway, Rupert checked to make sure there was nobody around, then he pushed me up against the door to his room and we made out. He kissed my neck and slipped the spaghetti straps off my shoulders and grabbed my ass. He was fierce but careful. He slid his key in the door and we were in, barely wanting to waste a moment. That night we had sex on nearly every surface of his hotel room—the bathroom counter, the couch, the desk, the floor, and of course the bed. When we were finally worn out, Rupert wrapped his arms around me and we fell asleep together in his bed.
I woke up the next morning and Rupert was in the shower. At the foot of the bed was a tray set up with a full breakfast. I sat up happily, found his dress shirt from the night before, put it on, and ate breakfast. When he got out, Rupert came out wrapped in a towel, his chest still wet. “Good morning, beautiful. I’ve wanted to be able to say that for so long.” I smiled and jumped up from the bed to kiss him.
That night was the Vogue/W fashion week ball. I slipped into the grey and pink striped chiffon gown from Carolina, with a tied waist and criss-cross style bodice. Rupert was in a sharp tux as we entered, holding hands. We were introduced by Carolina to ‘all the important people’ from the two magazines as well as a few fundamental socialites and celebrities. Rupert and I spent the whole night dancing; not taking our eyes off each other even as cameras snapped our photos and the camera crew recorded the event.
Sunday evening Rupert and I lay in bed in the hotel watching E News Weekend. I hadn’t been expecting to be sleeping with him on our trip, so I had packed flannel pajamas and big, fluffy robes to keep warm. Saturday I had to go out and buy some lingerie just to make it through the trip without embarrassing myself, though it was more for me: I doubted Rupert would care if I was wearing my heart-covered PJ’s. On that particular night I was wearing a short tan silk La Perla chemise with red embroidery along the bottom edge and the neckline. As I sipped my champagne, which Rupert had ordered from room service, the anchor announced, “Fashion week in New York City will be starting in full force tomorrow morning. Last night’s kick-off ball hosted by Vogue and W magazines gave us a preview of a few of the stylish celebs that will be attending the shows this week.”
They cut into video footage of the red carpet going into the ball, and as it segwayed from Sienna Miller, a clip of me and Rupert posing for a camera together showed up. The voice-over explained, “Carolina Herrera’s up-and-coming It-girl Kellie Holt flew in from London during a break from filming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with boyfriend and co-star Rupert Grint. It seems she’s taking the fashion world by storm with a mix of all-American class and British funk combined with her striking good looks.” I let out a little shriek.
“Rupert! That was us! Did you hear what she said about me?” Rupert laughed and hugged me. “Congratulations, babe, you’re an official It girl!”
The next morning was the first day of fashion week. I would be seeing four shows a day, which is actually a great deal of work. Fashionistas are known for staying up late, sleeping in, and partying—a lot. Therefore the first show started at 11am, each lasted about an hour, and it was common courtesy to spend at least twenty minutes at each designer’s after-party and comment to the press on the show. At the end of the night Bryant Park’s biggest tent held a fashion party where models, celebs, designers, and socialites alike partied in favor of the day’s shows.
The first show I attended was Alexander McQueen, and I was not let down. I wore a black ruffled short-sleeve blouse with a black high-waist pencil skirt covered in white bird print, a look that was shown on the runway. Rupert and I sat together and I watched in adoration as regal 19th-century looks started off the show—stiff corsets, high collars, and ruffled shirts. It slowly become more modern, but with the same style. When the look I was wearing came down the runway adorned by a model with powdered white makeup, as all models were sporting, the woman sitting next to me with fantastic shoes I had been admiring the whole time looked at me and said, “Dear, you wear that outfit well.” And I couldn’t help but smile.
I knew that the press would ask me which was my favorite look, as they did for everyone, and I also wanted to remember my favorite looks for future red carpet events, so I jotted down notes in my red croc notepad, a runway tradition. Afterwards Rupert and I made our way through the hall connecting to the after-party, flanked by paparazzi and reporters. “Kellie, over here!” A young girl with raven-black hair called out. I complied, as she was the reporter who stood out most from the others. “Kellie, great to see you. The outfit you’re wearing is from this collection. Not many can manage that, how did you do it?” she asked, holding out her recorder. “Well, Carolina actually has the connections, she got a bunch of choices from him and I chose this one, I thought it was fantastic.”
“What’s your favorite thing about this collection?” She halfway barked to be heard over the commotion. “I love how regal it looked, very stiff, very 1800’s. It stands out.”
Rupert and I answered a few more questions and then moved on the after party. We schmoozed with Alexander and met a few of the models. I talked briefly with Anna Wintour of Vogue, though I had met her at the ball and already gone through the formalities. She made the parting promise of featuring me on the cover one day, but I assumed that was what she said to most celebrities she met to make good connections in case they got huge one day and she would really want them on the cover. When we left, Rupert and I climbed into the limo Molly had made available for us for the week. It had conveniently tinted windows, and Rupert held up a blanket to shield me just in case as I changed into my next outfit. It was a white embellished dress with a tunic-style neckline from Badgley Mischka. Though it wasn’t a long drive at all—actually, the tents were all within walking distance, though not easy on the heels—most celebrities were known to get cars for changing between shows. I slipped on my pale pink leather pumps and freshened my lip gloss, then Rupert and I stepped out of the car and into the next tent.
At the after party for Badgley Mischka, Rupert and I ran into such famous faces as J.C. Chasez, Kathy Griffin, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Andre Leon Talley of Vogue. As I talked with Mark Badgley and James Mischka, I gushed about the nude floor-length dress with a chiffon overlay with a gradient of gold sequins. “My dear, you can borrow that dress, or any other for that matter, any time you want for an event, just call us.” James said, handing me their business card.
Another quick change got me into a white double-button coat with sequined collar from Blumarine, and after that was a light brown halter dress from Chado Ralph Rucci, which I paired with a coral beaded necklace. By the end of the day, I was worn out from changing, scribbling down notes, and flattering designers when they asked about a piece that I actually didn’t like. Rupert put his arm around me as we walked to the party tent. I was wearing a pinkish coral empire waist dress from Narciso Rodriguez with a bubble hem.
While we were in the party I sipped on champagne and looked around for anyone interesting to talk to, but for the most part Rupert and I chatted for a few moments with people, not necessarily latching on for long-term conversation. But suddenly in the corner I spotted two girls chatting and sipping martinis. I pulled Rupert over towards them. “Hello, you’re Heather and Jessica, aren’t you?” I asked, holding out my hand. “I’m Kellie and this is Rupert. It’s so great to meet you!”
They looked a bit shocked. “You—you are the girls from Go Fug Yourself, aren’t you?” I asked, speaking of the fashion blog in which they put down very bad celebrity looks. “Y-yeah, we are. How do you know us?” Heather stuttered, caught off guard. “Oh, I discovered your blog long ago, almost two years actually. I love you guys!”
They got a bit more talkative once they realized I wanted to talk to them. “You know,” I explained once we were really chatting, “sometimes when I’m not sure whether or not I should get something for an event, I just go, ‘okay, no leggings, no formal shorts, no exposed body parts, I think they’d like it!’” because I would hate to be on your blog. And what about this,” I asked, spinning around, “Is this fugly?” They denied that, telling me that they had admired the fact that a young actress dressed so well as to not be shown on their website a single time. “We’ll be sure to make a post one of these days on how well dressed you are!” Jessica promised when Rupert and I decided to head out for the night.
The next morning after Rupert and I had showered, I slipped on the simple, breezy brown-plaid chiffon strapless dress from Derek Lam. Rupert kissed my shoulders before I dusted a bit of highlighting powder on them, and then twisted my hair into a loose chignon. I stepped into a pair of embellished leather sandals and Rupert and I got into the elevator. The usual elevator operator wasn’t there, so the whole way down Rupert had me pressed into the corner of the elevator, kissing me all over. I had half a mind to unbutton his shirt and do the same, but the display showed that we were almost to the lobby, so I resisted.
The Derek Lam show offered some average day dresses, but the gowns were quite impressive. The front row boasted Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, Kanye West and his girlfriend, and Anna Wintour. I changed into a black dress with abstract cherry print and a sweetheart neckline for the Diane von Furstenberg show. I enjoyed the signature wrap dresses and barely neon colors. Rupert and I met Diane and her daughter Tatiana, Carmen Electra, Molly Sims, Nicky Hilton, and Diane Sawyer, but didn’t stay around long at the party. Doo.Ri showed pretty day dresses, but the highlight of the day was Chanel.
Just before the show, after helping me change into a black raw-edged mini dress, Rupert announced that he wanted to return to the hotel. “Rupert, you’ll miss Chanel!” I pleaded, not wanting to see the show alone. I may have been stubborn, but when Rupert explained that he didn’t feel well, I cried, “Rupert, you’re going to leave me all alone?”
I finally let Rupert go, and dragged my peep-toe flat adorned feet into the show. However, when I got in, I heard someone calling my name, and it wasn’t a reporter, it was a familiar, distinctly French voice. I turned around to see Clémence Poésy approaching me. We chatted for a while, and I ended up sitting next to her. After a quick chat with Karl, we grabbed a coffee and talked for a while, and then she went on to the party, but I decided to skip it, promising to hang out with her another time, as she was also in New York all week.
I went back to the hotel and, knowing Rupert didn’t feel well and also feeling a bit betrayed, went to my hotel room instead of his, where we had been staying the past few nights. When I got inside I was hit with the aroma of roses—and lots of them. There were 4 dozen roses sitting on the table in vases and in front of them a glass of champagne and a note. “I’m sorry I left today. Meet me next door. Love, Rupert”
I picked up the champagne and took a sip, smelled the roses, and then had a decision to make: to meet Rupert, or to drink champagne, brood, and fall asleep watching Letterman? I decided on the latter even though I didn’t truly want that. I turned on the TV, changed into a black satin camisole just to feel sexy, and got between the covers. But before I could truly get comfortable there was a knock on the door.
Rupert was waiting in the hall holding another bouquet of roses and a bottle of champagne. “Kellie, I’m so sorry. I just got tired of watching show after show. I realized when I got back here that it was a stupid idea, I missed you too much, but when I went back to Bryant Park they wouldn’t let me in because the show had already started.”
My stony face softened. “You went back?” I asked, feeling a rush of joy. Rupert nodded, and I grabbed the champagne and roses from him and set them on the table. Then I wrapped my arms around Rupert, pulled him inside, and kicked the door shut.
The next morning I dressed into a cream strapless dress from Zac Posen with a wrapped hem and a gold rope belt. Rupert and I headed downstairs and to limo outside. When we got to Bryant Park we were stopped by a girl from the New York Magazine ‘Show & Talk’ fashion week section, who asked to interview me for the daily 21 Questions special. I agreed.
Name: Kellie
Age: 17 (for two more weeks)
Job: Actress
Neighborhood: London (though she’d like to get a flat in New York eventually)
Who's your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
Holly Golightly
What's the best meal you've eaten in New York?
Maria Pia
In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
I get made up, get dressed, pretend I’m someone else, wait around, eat, pretend some more, get undressed and unmade up, and go home.
Where do you get your coffee?
Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is incredible, but unfortunately it’s not everywhere like Starbucks, so sometimes I have to resort to that when I’m in a hurry.
What's the last thing you saw on Broadway?
Wicked!
Do you give money to panhandlers?
I give them food, leftovers when I go out to eat.
What's your drink?
Champagne, I guess. I’m not a fan of most hard liquors.
How often do you prepare your own meals?
I’ve been trying to do it more lately. Take-out is convenient but not healthy, and I can’t expect to be treated to dinner out every night, so I need to start making healthy meals. I’ve been making thinks like pasta or soup ahead of time and bringing it to the set in Tupperware lately to resist the cravings of the many donuts and fast-food type things that they offer
What's your favorite medication?
Tylenol PM for jet lag or late nights at work
What's hanging above your sofa?
Two framed Ansel Adams photographs
How much is too much to spend on a haircut?
For just a cut, I wouldn’t spend more than $150. I’m still quite frugal about some things and it pains me to spend even that much.
When's bedtime?
Whenever I can get to sleep. I love sleep!
Brunch: pro or con?
Pro!
What's your thread count?
I don’t pay attention to that…I don’t really mind either way.
What do you hate most about New York?
I don’t think I can work up enough emotion to hate it; this city is still new to me so I think it’s wonderful. Though the loud garbage trucks outside my hotel at 5 am can get quite annoying
What's your brand of jeans?
True Religion and James
When's the last time you drove a car?
Thursday when I drove up to the sets at Leavesden
Who should be the next president?
Barack Obama. I’m fortunate enough to have dual citizenship and I keep up with politics via internet, so I’ll definitely be voting next November!
Times, Post, or Daily News?
Times.
Yankees or Mets?
Mariners!
What makes someone a New Yorker?
Dreams of making a name for themselves, making it big, and a competitive personality.
When I finished the interview, Rupert and I proceeded into the tent. One of the security guards at the door saw me and said, “Ms. Holt, Mr. Grint, Zac requested your presence backstage,” And pointed out where to go. We slipped through crowds and past photographers until we were backstage, but it wasn’t exactly a haven away from the outside chaos. There were models being rushed to hair and makeup, stylists whipping by with racks full out clothing with models’ names on top, a few celebrities mingling, and photographers trying to capture every moment of it. After allowing a photographer to get a picture of me kissing Rupert on the cheek, we cautiously made our way through, trying not to get stepped on by stiletto clad feet.
“Kellie, Rupert, wonderful to see you!” I heard Zac cry from the abyss, but as I spun around, I couldn’t see him anywhere. Finally, a model moved and I saw him pinning the seam of a dress that had ripped. When he finished, Zac got off his knees and came over to hug us both. “Look at you, gorgeous! What a lovely piece; whoever made it is just…genius!” we both laughed because the outfit was of course from the collection he was about to show. Another photographer came over and took a few pictures of me and Zac before we headed out to take our seats.
Immediately after the Posen show Rupert and I rushed to the car so I could change. The Yves Saint Laurent show was beginning in 20 minutes, and that was not a lot of time to change and push through the hordes of fashionistas trying to get in. I slipped into a black wrap dress with fishnets and super-tall red peep-toe platforms and Rupert and I hurried out of the car when we arrived in front of the tent.
After a sixties shift at Versace in pink, brown, and cream, as well as an angelic white mini with tulle ruffles in the back at Valentino, Rupert and I returned to the hotel. Molly had set up an interview with Elle Girl magazine for when I returned, but the photo shoot was to be that night before the party. So I quickly changed into dark AE jeans, a grey long sleeve thermal tee, and a red short-sleeve Forever 21 blazer with brown Ugg loafers. I kissed Rupert goodbye and left, climbing into the town car outside the lobby. When I arrived at the studio, I was whisked off to the shoot.
After the photographer took a few shots of me in the outfit I had arrived in, the stylist handed me a garment bag and directed me to the dressing room. “Just put this outfit on, honey, and we’ll get you all set up when you come out.” She said kindly, shutting the door. I unzipped the bag and found a teal jersey faux-wrap dress with a ruched bodice. I put on the slip and then put the dress on over my head. There was nothing else in the bag, so I kept my Uggs on and went back out to the busy room. “Okay. My name is Jenni, and I’m styling you.” The girl who had given me the garment bag said. “You don’t need to worry about shoes or anything yet because we’ve got to get your hair done. Mr. Fiore is over there waiting to style you.”
After an hour and a half of makeup and hair, I was ready to put on the rest of my outfit. Jenni handed me a pair of tan peep-toe leather pumps, which I stepped into, followed by gold disc earrings and a tan floppy hat. I had to stand in front of a green screen, on which they would later add a backdrop of Tuscany. I modeled also in two other ensembles. One was a deep purple jersey one-shoulder top from Victoria’s Secret paired with khaki cargos, a silver cuff, and white wedges with purple and green butterflies splattered all over it. The other outfit was a pretty pink tulle dress with deep fuschia embroidery, gold strappy heels, and three stacked ruby rings.
When I left the studios that night and got back to the hotel, I collapsed into bed. I told Rupert I wanted to skip the party after all, and went straight to sleep.
Three days later Rupert and I were in the bathroom of our hotel room preparing for the CFDA post-fashion week ball. I had just slipped into a cream silk Greek-style one-shoulder gown with a gold rope belt and the hair stylist I had hired was pulling my hair back into a loose, low curly side ponytail. Rupert was wearing a navy blue blazer with a light blue shirt and navy slacks. I slipped into my strappy gold sandals and dabbed a bit of crème blush on my cheeks, and then Rupert and I walked out the door.
We arrived at the red carpet an hour into the ball. Rupert and I posed down the carpet, and then made our way inside to the ballroom. We spent the night sipping on champagne, chatting with designers, models, and celebs, and dancing as much as possible. It felt like prom, except the dresses were more expensive and most of the attendees weren’t in high school. Rupert and I had an incredible time and when we got back to the hotel, we decided to save the last of our packing for early the next morning, collapsing into bed in a bit of a drunken, happy state.
--------------------------------
“Kellie! I saw your photos from Fashion Week. You looked incredible! Oh, and all those designer clothes—amazing!” I clicked through my messages, this particular one from Jenny. I was sitting in my dressing room on set in some comfy seersucker pants and a white cashmere sweater, waiting to begin filming for the day. Ashley Lambert knocked and then entered with a yellow mug, which she set down on my desk. “I thought you’d like a cappuccino while you wait. Sorry about the hold, costume’s got some problems.” She apologized but I waved it off. “Not a problem, I’m enjoying myself. I think I’ll go find Rupert in a bit so if I’m not in here when they’re ready for me, you can just call my cell phone and I’ll come.”
When Ashley left, I slipped my shoes on, took a sip of cappuccino, and brought it along with me as I left my room. I found Rupert sitting on a couch reading, his camera crew hovering over him expectantly in case anything interesting should happen as he sat in silence. “Hey!” I said, curling up next to Rupert and giving him a hug. “I missed you this weekend. How was the camping trip?” Rupert told me all about the trip he took with Dan and Tom over the weekend.
I was leaving the next day to go back to Arizona for a week for my birthday. Rupert and I were going to dinner that night and after I returned, two days after my birthday, he was throwing a party for me with the whole cast and all of the friends I had made in England. We made our final plans for the night—my place at 7, then to Foliage, a fine French restaurant in Hyde Park, followed by dessert at Rules followed by dancing and drinks at AKA. Just then, my phone rang and Ashley asked told me that wardrobe was ready for me.
In wardrobe, I slipped into a slightly appalling grey tweed jumper paired over a deep blue turtleneck and matching blue tights. However, when I was done with hair and makeup, my hair down with a bit clipped back, I felt like I was in first grade again, when this outfit was all the rage. I hopped on the back of a gold cart which took me over to the set we were using that day—a random corridor in Hogwarts, where I was to walk along with Ginny and Neville chatting before running into Harry. We ran through the scene four times three of which I tripped over different electrical cords that were painted the same color of the floor to be hidden from the camera. It got everybody laughing and the rest of the day we were all in cheery moods.
When I got back to my apartment at 5, I changed out of my clothes and took a quick shower. I pulled my hair back into a bun, leaving my bangs down, and put on some light, pretty makeup. I zipped myself into a white tulle dress with red polka-dot embroidery from Oscar de la Renta, which had a sweetheart neckline and was knee-length. I had been so excited to wear this dress—when I had been at the Oscar de la Renta fashion show in New York City, I had told Oscar that it was my favorite dress of the whole collection. Two weeks later I received a package in the mail from him with the dress inside and a birthday card. I was beginning to get used to the whole insider connection deal I had been introduced to in the fashion business.
When Rupert got to my apartment, he had a bouquet of cala lilies, and after I set them out on my dining room table, I slipped on the black suede d’orsay peep Manolo Blahnik pumps and we left. The first stop was dinner at Foliage. It was an elegant, romantic restaurant in the heart the baroque Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park hotel. I ordered a roast scallop salad with caramelized cauliflower beignet and a glass of champagne, both of which were delicious. As we ate, Rupert and I talked about my trip back to Arizona. “I think while I’m there I’m going to talk to my parents about buying a small house and moving out of the flat.” I announced as we dined.
Rupert looked surprised. “Really? I thought you loved your flat?” I sipped my champagne and set the flute down. “Yeah, it’s a great place to live, but sometimes I go a little stir crazy in that place. I know I want to stay here in London even after filming is over completely, and I’m applying to universities here. So I figured, why not get a little house to live in?” Rupert agreed that it was a good idea, and we planned to go house searching after I had talked to my parents about it and returned. “I’m also going to eventually get a new car and sell my Mustang. I love it, but I really want a MINI Cooper.”
After dinner, Rupert and I walked a little ways down the street to Rules, where we had cappuccinos and shared a Molten Lava Fudge cake. When we had finished, Rupert pulled out a small white box with a red ribbon tied around it. “Happy Birthday, beautiful.” He said with a smile, placing the box on the table in front of me. It seemed like everyone in the tables around us had stopped what they were doing to watch me open the box. I slowly pulled off the ribbon, slipped the top off of the box, and inside was a black velvet Fred Leighton jewelry box. I carefully flipped the top open to find a pair of dazzling earrings. They were large square-cut fire opals set in platinum and bordered by little diamonds. “Oh…oh my gosh. Rupert, these are beautiful!” I stood up and went around the table to hug him. The onlookers smiled and went back to what they were doing—I think they expected they were going to witness a proposal, but Rupert and I knew better. He smiled. “Give some credit to my mum, she’s got an eye for great jewelry.”
I slipped the box into my purse and we paid for our dessert and coffee before slipping out of the restaurant and into the limo waiting outside. It sped through the streets of London, now fairly deserted as it was almost midnight. When we arrived at AKA, there was a long line of people waiting to get inside and the bouncer at the door did not look happy. However, when he saw us get out of the limo, he plastered a smile on his face, unlatched the velvet rope, and let us through. Rupert and I stayed for about an hour and a half dancing. We ran into Clémence and her boyfriend, as well as Ewan McGregor, who I had never met but still somehow knew to wish me a happy birthday. Trying desperately to keep my composure and hold the giddy fangirl feelings inside, I asked Rupert to take a picture of us together. “Oh my gosh! The girls at home would never believe me if I didn’t have this picture as proof!” I cried as soon as he was out of earshot. Rupert laughed. “I’m not going to have to fight him for you, now, am I?”
When we left the club, Rupert and I were a little more than tipsy. We slid into the limousine and kissed in the back seat all the way back to my flat. Riding the elevator up, Rupert pushed me into the corner and kissed my neck. “Happy Birthday, beautiful.” He breathed when we finally made it to my door. “Do you want me to stay, or would you rather get some sleep for the flight tomorrow?” I contemplated this a moment, then wrapped my arms around his waist. “I think I can catch up on my sleep on the plane.”
The next morning I woke up before Rupert. I slipped out of bed and into the shower. I quickly got ready for the flight and made sure my luggage was all together, then I made some toast and orange juice and brought it back into my room. I plopped down on the bed, waking Rupert up, and handed him a piece of toast and glass of orange juice. “Ow, my head!” he moaned, before gulping down the juice.
After breakfast Rupert got up and got dressed. I had been wearing my robe, so I changed into a pair of dark denim jeans (and put some denim Bermuda shorts in my carry-on for changing in Arizona), a red floral gauze halter with a crochet neckline, and a navy blue scoop neck cardigan. I slipped into some white and blue striped canvas flats and as soon as Rupert was ready, I put my sunglasses on, grabbed my purse and luggage, and followed him out the door. We loaded my things into my car and headed to the airport. Rupert was going to bring my car back to the apartment and catch a cab back to his house. After I checked my luggage, Rupert hugged me and gave me a kiss. “So the camera crew’s coming on a later flight, right?” he asked as we tried our best to stall before I had to leave. “Yeah. My parents both had to work today but they left one of the cars in the parking garage this morning so I’m going to take it. I think I’ll visit some friends before the crew gets there and makes it a bit more of a hassle.”
I finally parted with Rupert, giving him one last hug and kiss, and went to board my plane. 8 long hours later I was landing in Phoenix. I had changed into the dark Bermudas and was excited to get off the plane and breath real air, stand on real ground. When we exited the plane, there were a few paparazzi waiting outside the security gate. They snapped photos, and I hoped that I didn’t look too incredibly haggard from too little sleep. By the time I had gone through customs and gotten my luggage, I was about ready to trip one of the paparazzi and hope for a domino effect. Why did they come all the way to Phoenix just to take my picture? And if they were really just local magazine reporters disguised as paps, why couldn’t they just set up a proper interview? I hurriedly loaded my luggage into the back of the truck that was waiting in the parking garage and left them far behind.
I knew Nicole was working that day at Old Navy, where we had worked together long before I was cast as Luna. So on the way home, I stopped by my old work to say hi to a few friends. When I walked in, a girl on register that I hadn’t known when I worked there, glanced up and her jaw literally dropped. “Uh…Hi! Welcome to…Old Navy!” she stuttered. I smiled and thanked her. “Nicole is working today, right?” I asked, and she confirmed with a rapid head-nod. “I thought you were friends with her! Wow! That’s amazing! Um, I think she’s in the fitting room.” I smiled and headed back towards the back. On the way a familiar voice cried out, “Kellie!” I spun around to find my friend Victoria rushing over from a pile of clothes she had been folding. She nearly knocked me over with her hug. “How are you? I haven’t seen you in ages!” she cried.
By the time I had caught up with all my friends, it had nearly been fifteen minutes. When I finally made it back to the fitting room, Nicole was talking to a manager so I stepped to the side and waited. As the manager walked out, he glanced at me and looked away, then did a double-take. “Kellie!” Brian cried. He had been my favorite manager in the end and when I left he gave me a sad going-away speech which included a lot of, “we’ll miss your smile!” and “You were always so warm and sincere to everyone, we appreciate that.” Which nearly made me cry.
I talked to Nicole for a while and we made plans to get some people together to hang out the following night. My birthday party was to be on that Saturday, and we were going to go shopping, have dinner, and spend the night at my house. I finally said goodbye and went down to DSW where my friend Jenny was working. I filled her in on the Ewan McGregor sighting and showed her a picture. She almost didn’t believe me. “Are you sure you didn’t Photoshop this?” she joked.
That night when my parents got home from work, we went out to dinner at P.F. Chang’s. I had been debating whether or not it was the right time to bring up buying a house, but I made up my mind at the last minute. “Mom, dad, I think we need to talk about my…living quarters.” I started awkwardly. My parents nodded and listened intently. “Well, as you know I’m going to apply to universities in England. I want to continue acting, and there’s not a lot of opportunity in Arizona.” A bit of a frown spread on my mom’s face, but then she smiled in sad realization. “It’s true. We just wish you didn’t have to be so far away.”
“I’ve basically got London, New York, or Hollywood for acting. So I was thinking, with Rupert and school and everything in London, I’d like to buy a small house there. That way it’ll always be my base even if I’m in LA or New York. Of course, as you’ve probably guessed, I’d like to eventually get a flat in New York. But I think for now this is what I need most.”
My parents thought for a moment, and then agreed. I was ecstatic. “Rupert is going to help me go house hunting when I get back home.”
Later that evening, after downing a coffee to keep off the jet lag, I drove down to the airport to pick up the camera crew. “Hey guys,” I said as they loaded their luggage and equipment in the back of the truck. I dropped them off at their hotel, just down the street from the house, and went home, where I immediately fell into bed.
Saturday was my 18th birthday. I woke up with a start and hopped out of bed happily. When I went out into the kitchen, my dad was standing over the stove making breakfast and my mom was pouring herself a cup of coffee. “Good morning, birthday girl!” She said as my dad set a plate on the table and led me to it. Once I was finished eating, my parents disappeared into their bedroom as the camera crew arrived. They set up and before I knew it, my parents were carrying out a huge gift-wrapped box. As they set it in front of me, I unwrapped the box to find a kennel! Inside was a precious 6-week old Beagle. It was a precious girl who wagged her tail and came waddling out and immediately curled up on my lap. “Oh, my gosh!” I cried, picking her up and holding her in front of me. “She’s beautiful! You guys!”
For years, ever since our last dog had run away when I was 14, my sister and I had tried to convince my parents to get another dog. Now that I was out living on my own, it seemed that they had finally decided I deserved one. I hugged the puppy with delight. “Oh, what should I call you?” I pondered.
Later that evening people started arriving at my house for my birthday party. After weighing a bunch of options I’d thought of through the years, I decided on “Kennedy” for my new puppy. I was cradling my puppy as I checked my appearance in the mirror: silk Anna Sui scarf-print blouse, slim black pants, and black Louboutin pumps. Nicole was the first to arrive, and she nearly melted at the sight of my new puppy. “Oh my gosh! She’s so cute!” she gushed, petting Kennedy profusely.
The party was fantastic. We went to the Scottsdale Fashion Square, an upscale mall, where I bought a Coach purse. Afterwards we got sushi at Raw and proceeded back to my house to hang out, open presents, and play with my puppy. I enjoyed being with my friends so much—even though we kept in contact while I was gone, it was so much better being with them. The next morning when everyone was leaving Savannah announced to me, Nicole, Karigan, and Jenny that she had been accepted to Oxford. She was still dating Tom long-distance, and they had been talking about it for a while. I told Savannah about my plans to buy a house, and asked if she would like to live with me. She was excited at the idea and promised to ask her parents. Nicole cried, out, “Well, that makes me want to apply to Oxford!” and she and Karigan resolved to do so as well—Jenny had already been accepted to UT Austin and had her heart set on attending.
When it was time to return to London, I said my goodbyes to my parents and friends. The camera crew was going on the same flight as me, so we all checked our luggage together and they filmed as I hugged my parents. “If you find a house, let us know, and send us pictures.” My dad instructed. This was a happy departure now—as much as I would miss my family, London was my home now.
The night of my party in London had arrived. I was in a teal Proenza Schouler dress with a grey bustier and grey suede pumps, giving Kennedy her food before Rupert came to pick me up. It was only the day after I had returned from Phoenix, and we had barely had time to talk on the phone as he was busy arranging last-minute party details. So it would be nice to finally see him after over a week. When the buzzer rang, I set Kennedy’s bowl on the kitchen floor and ran to the door. For some reason Kennedy immediately set off barking her cute little puppy bark. “Hey, Rupert!” I said, giving him a kiss. “This is Kennedy! My parents finally got me a puppy.” Rupert got a stunned look on his face and then looked down at the huge gift bag in his hand.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, picking Kennedy up. Then I noticed that the bag was shaking slightly and Kennedy wouldn’t stop sniffing and barking at it. “Uh, Rupert, dear, what’s up with the bag?” he set it on the floor carefully and before I knew it, the bag was tipping over as a tiny black and white Boston terrier leapt out. “Oh my gosh!” I cried. It seemed Rupert and my parents had the same idea and now I had two puppies! Rupert explained that he had no idea and felt awful, but I told him that it was an amazing gift. I picked up the puppy, which was about the same age as Kennedy. “Aww, what a cutie!” I said as the puppy sniffed about.
When Rupert and I finally left my apartment, we had locked the two dogs in their kennels—Rupert had brought one up and left it outside the door so I didn’t notice right away. I decided to name the dog Coco, after Coco Chanel. After straightening out my dress and fixing my makeup, we left and headed out to the party. On the way there in the car, Rupert and I had a couple shots of Jack Daniels in celebration of my being able to legally drink. He held my hand and kissed my neck, telling me how beautiful I looked. I felt like an absolute queen.
I couldn’t believe the turn-out. All of my friends from the set were there, Amelia and William, Angelica Mandy, the entire cast and crew of the Harry Potter films; Carolina Herrera, Zac Posen, Marghareta Missoni, the members of Yellowcard, and many of the various celebrities I had met throughout the year. I felt incredibly honored as people stood to make toasts to me and my happiness, buying drinks from the bar for me, and making it an all around incredible evening. The only bad part was when Robert, my ex-boyfriend, showed up uninvited and actually attempted to flirt with me—Rupert quickly took care of him, though, and all was well. As guests began leaving, gifts began piling up, and when everyone was gone, Rupert helped me pack them into the limo and head back to my apartment to open them.
As Rupert and I drank red wine and opened my gifts, I made a list of who each gift came from:
Giraffe Print Benneton Stationary from Angelica Mandy
Glass Hurricane Lamp (set of 2) from Devon Murray
Two custom-made Burberry dog rain coats from Katie Leung
One real Burberry trench coat from Bonnie Wright
Set of 4 bowls—silver plated with blue or red enamel interior by Oscar de la Renta from Amelia and William
French Demel Vienne ‘Les Langues de Chat’ chocolates from Amelia
Weekly flower bouquets for a year from Yellowcard
Plastic pop-art hand painted Prada handbag from Emma Watson
Exclusive white crocodile skin handbag from Carolina Herrera
The entire ID Bare Minerals makeup collection from Zac Posen
Ultra CHI flat iron from Tom Felton
In-home salsa lessons for me and Rupert from Daniel Radcliffe
Verdura skinny turquoise-studded pink lizard watch from Matthew Lewis
Limited Edition Annick Goutal Rose Exfoliator from Marghareta Missoni
Two tickets to the opera from the Queen (given with Amelia and William’s gift)
When we had finally finished, I curled up against Rupert’s chest on the couch and fell asleep watching late night talk shows.
The next morning I woke up in the same position, with Rupert sound asleep. I carefully got up and pulled the blanket over him before getting ready for the day. When I had finished showering and changed into a black long-sleeve top, straight-leg jeans, black patent flats, and my new black Burberry trench from Bonni. By time I had made breakfast, Rupert was up and ready, so we ate and then left, fastening our coats to brave the cold November wind.
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“Ay, Mikey! Will you turn mic 3 down a couple notches?” Pete Moseley, the bassist of Yellowcard, suggested into his microphone. I was standing near the corner in front of my mic, nervously tugging on my outfit—a yellow cami, white pants, and a black cardigan. It was the first day of recording with Yellowcard, and we were just about to start our first run-through. The camera crew was just across the glass, along with the producers, and I could tell they were focused on me at the moment.
“All right, you ready, Kellie?” Ryan asked, fastening his guitar strap. I nodded with a smile. “A bit nervous, but yeah, I’m ready.” I said. Sean, the violinist, assured me that everything would be okay. And then, before I knew what was happening, the guitarist, Animal, was counting off on his drumsticks and the song began. Sean came in on his violin, and Ryan began singing. I listened in and waited for my cue.
Suddenly it came—it was my time to sing. I took a breath and began, “And I’m sure the view from Heaven beats the hell out of mine here; and if we all believe in Heaven, maybe we’ll make it through one more year, down here” Sean, taking a break in his violin part, gave me a quick thumbs up. My part was up again: “You won’t be coming back—yeah. Goodbye—I really wish I’d got to say goodbye.”
By the end of the day, we had a good routine for the song down. “Well, guys I expect we’ll be done with this song by tomorrow. By the way, Kellie, you did a great job!” We decided to go to the diner down the street for dinner. Pete and Ryan’s girlfriends and Robby’s wife were going to meet up with us, and so I called Rupert to invite him to join us as well. We ate burgers and fries and had a great time getting to know each other. At the end of the night, we parted ways and I went home to get some sleep for the next day’s recording session.
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Two weeks later, Rupert and I were bundled in coats, checking out houses. My estate agent had showed us million pound terraced homes in Notting Hill, which I immediately nixed, telling him I wanted a real house. So he brought us to Fulham, where he began showing us nice, upscale houses. But after four tries and nothing that was absolutely right for me, we moved on to Maida Vale, an upscale neighborhood consisting mostly of mansions renovated into apartments, but also containing a few beautiful houses. The first one we pulled up to was a Queen Anne Victorian red brick house. I gasped as I stepped out of the car and took it all in.
“This house just came on the market this morning, and if you want to make an offer it’ll have to be quick, because it’ll definitely be coveted.” The whole house was grand, beautiful, and elegant. I was trying not to gasp each time he opened the door to another room, but I wanted the house dearly. As my agent stepped out to take a phone call, Rupert and I stood in the lofty kitchen waiting. “Are you going to make an offer?” he asked, but I could tell that he knew the answer already. “This house is so…you. It’s perfect.” He added
I decided to make an offer. It had four bedrooms—one for me, one for Savannah when she moved in for college, and two extra, possibly for Nicole or Karigan if they went to Oxford. The house was absolutely perfect, and situated in the most beautiful part of London. I made an offer right away, and two hours later I got a call that it had been accepted!
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“Merry Christmas, beautiful!” Rupert cried, waking me up on December 22nd. It wasn’t really Christmas, of course, but we were celebrating with Rupert’s family early and then the two of us were flying to Arizona to celebrate with my family. I smiled, rolling out of bed to get ready for the day. An hour and a half later, we were leaving my apartment, Rupert carrying my wrapped gifts for his family, myself carrying the two dogs in their Burberry trench coats. I fastened my own black trench over my periwinkle chiffon Alberta Ferretti dress as we climbed into Rupert’s car. We quickly stopped by his apartment to get his gift, and then we were off to his home.
I loved everything about Rupert’s family. His mother reminded me of Mrs. Weasley, calling me ‘dear’ and offering me food the moment we got into the house. “Oh, come in, dear! Look at you, you need some meat on those bones! Here’s a muffin!” She cried, handing me a fresh, warm, blueberry muffin. I smiled and thanked her, giving her a hug before eating the delicious food. Rupert’s father was hilarious, and we always enjoyed joking around. He came in and gave me a hug. “So, I heard you got the house?” He asked, settling down at the table and taking a blueberry muffin from the stack in the middle. “Yeah, I move in two days after we get back from Arizona!” I announced excitedly.
“So you have a friend moving in with you next year for college, correct?” his mother asked, motioning us all into the living room to open presents. “Actually, I just found out two more of my friends have been accepted to Oxford, so the four of us are living together.” She grinned. “I bet that’ll be a great deal of fun for you, living with a bunch of girlfriends!”
We began passing around presents at this point. I handed Rupert’s mother, Jo, a small cream box with a brown and cream ribbon tied around it. I knew she loved birds, and so I decided to get her something different from the usual bird figurine. She opened up the box to reveal a silver necklace with a pendant of two small birds kissing. “Oh, my dear, this is beautiful!” She said, covering her mouth with her hand for a moment before taking the necklace out, fastening it around her neck, and then giving me a generous hug. Next, his father Nigel handed me a box. “This is from me and Jo.” He said with a smile. I unwrapped it, finding inside a Styrofoam-packed box. As I unpacked it, Jo began explaining, “We thought it would be appropriate to get you something nice for your new house. We know you like throwing nice parties, so…” she trailed off as I uncovered a complete 5-piece dinnerware set of blue and white ceramic plates and bowls adorned with a simple blue cherry blossom print, 20 sets in all.
Jo was excited at my reaction. She clapped her hands giddily and said, “Now, there’s a charger, a dinner plate, a salad plate, a cereal bowl, and a cup and saucer in each set.” I thanked them both greatly—I hadn’t even thought of getting table settings, but now I realized it would be necessary since I wasn’t just living on my own, needing a few dishes at a time.
As the morning went on, I gave Nigel a set of fishing rods—he was an avid fisher—and an electronic translator with over 350 languages to Rupert’s brother, who was going on a backpacking trip through Europe the following summer with his friends and would need it for languages he didn’t speak. Rupert had two twin sisters, Georgina and Samantha, 15-year-old twins who were complete opposites. I gave Georgina, the budding fashionista, a pair of True Religion Kids jeans and a black and red floral print camisole, and Samantha, the stylish future rock-star, Rock & Republic Kids stovepipe jeans and a black ‘Rock’ print t-shirt from the same brand. To nine-year old Charlotte, who wanted to go with Rupert to every premiere he attended (and usually got her wish for the Harry Potter ones) I gave a pretty floral-print dress for the next premiere.
Likewise, I got gifts from the rest of the family—organic moisturizing lip balm from James, who was embarrassed to give a beauty product and blamed the decision on his mom, but I thanked him nonetheless. Georgina gave me a pair of silver hoop earrings with hearts inside, Samantha gave me a pair of silver crown earrings, and even said, “Crowns are the big rock star thing, so I thought they would be perfect for you!” Charlotte, who wanted to be a chef when she was older, made her famous chocolate-chocolate chunk cookies, which were literally famous in their town of Hertfordshire, in a nice tin with the sweetest Christmas note inside.
By the end of the night—after two bottles of red wine, a small lunch and a huge dinner, and a whole lot of talking, we were all ready to hit the pillows. Rupert and I were staying there for the night to avoid driving home so late at night, so we crashed in his old bedroom, my dogs on a pillow on the floor. The next morning, we woke up early and tip-toed downstairs, careful not to wake his family so early. Both wrapped in a couple of Rupert’s old robes, we sat at the table sipping tea and reading the paper—an early morning ritual I had grown to love whenever Rupert and I stayed at each others’ apartments.
By time Jo and Nigel woke up, we were already back in Rupert’s room packing up. We didn’t want to leave so soon, but we had to get back to London in time to catch our plane. We each showered and dressed, then ate breakfast with the family before hugging them all goodbye and leaving. As we drove off, Rupert said, “I couldn’t imagine anybody being a bigger hit with my family. They absolutely love you!” I smiled and said, “I love them too. They’re all fantastic.” As we got on the main road, Rupert added, “And the gifts were well thought-out. That translator for James was ace!” We kept talking about the great day we’d had as we drove to London, where we dropped Rupert’s car off at his apartment and took a WB company car the rest of the way to the airport.
Christmas day came quickly, and my family gathered on the couch with mugs of hot chocolate, despite it being 60 degrees. Warm weather on Christmas day wasn’t strange to me, after having lived in Phoenix for 7 years before moving to England, but I had acclimated to London weather and so while my parents and sister were wearing pants and sweatshirts, Rupert and I were in shorts and t-shirts. We exchanged gifts—I gave my mom a nice military-time watch for work, as her hospital judged by military time. For my dad, I had a black leather Prada wallet, and I gave Megan a set of two personalized silk-covered scrapbooks. Rupert gave my mother a deep purple-stained glass hurricane lamp to use as a candle holder, which she absolutely loved. He hit the nail right on the head with my dad’s gift, a grilling set complete with grilling tools and spices and oils to use on meat. He also gave Megan a blown-glass vase with silk tulips, so they would never die. When it came time for me and Rupert to exchange our gifts, I got a bit excited. He had mentioned a month or so ago that he was considering getting a new watch, as his “old cheap one” was getting worn through. I knew he loved his watch, so I did my best to find the closest match possible, except this was a finely made David Yurman timepiece so it wouldn’t wear out for years to come. He was surprised that I had remembered and loved it, taking his old watch off right away and trying the new one on.
When he handed me my gift, I was surprised to find it was a wide royal blue box with a white ribbon and “Fred Leighton: Rare Collectible Jewels” embossed in silver. I opened it up to find a blue velvet box, and inside was a beautiful diamond pendant on a silver chain. The pendant consisted of three large diamonds and it was absolutely beautiful. “Oh, Rupert! It’s amazing!” I cried, enveloping him in a hug.
The next morning Rupert and I got up early to meet my friends for shopping. When we hopped into my parents’ car, I was wearing black Bermuda shorts and a pink Henley and Rupert said, “I never knew this side of you…” Confused, I asked, “What do you mean?” He took a drink from his water bottle and explained, “I don’t know. You’re just casual and really happy—not that you’re not always that way, but this is more of a—a familiar happiness. I like it.” I smiled. “Yeah, I guess when I come here, I revert to my pre-fame ways. It’s a nice getaway.”
When we pulled into the parking space at the mall, I stopped the car and we went to find my friends. In the entryway to the food court Karigan, Savannah Jenny, and Nicole stood waiting. When I saw them, I got an elated, giddy feeling and realized I couldn’t wait for them to move to London and live with me. We walked around the mall for a couple hours, doing much more talking than shopping. I showed them pictures of our house—seeing as they weren’t making nearly enough income to help with payments on the two million dollar house, we had agreed that Savannah would buy groceries that we would all use (if we needed anything out of the ordinary or just for one of us, we’d buy it ourselves), Nicole would pay the water bill, and Karigan would pay the power bill (actually, the payments came from their parents, acting in place of ‘room and board’ the college would charge), while I paid the actual house payment.
“Ooh, I can’t wait to live there!” Savannah said, “Plus, I really miss seeing Tom.” She hadn’t seen her boyfriend in nearly two months—living on two completely separate continents made it a bit difficult. “Tom’s really looking forward to it, too,” Rupert reassured her, “He can hardly talk about anything else lately.” Tom wasn’t in school, but he promised to visit the four of is at Oxford for lunch whenever possible. “Man, you’ve got to find me a cute English guy next, Kellie! Any new cast members?” Nicole joked.
As we sat down to lunch, my cell phone rang with a number I didn’t know. I stepped out of the restaurant to answer it. “Hi, is this Kellie Holt?” A woman on the line asked. “Yes, this is.” I said politely, always finding myself a bit strained when talking to people I didn’t know over the phone. “Oh, hello, Kellie, I’m Lauren Fischer, a casting director for Columbia Pictures. We’re working on putting together a film version of The Great Gatsby and we’re wondering if you’re interested?”
I was shocked—I had studied Gatsby in my junior English class and loved it. “Oh, that sounds interesting. What part would you like me to try out for?” I was hoping it was a good part—a spot in a big movie production outside of Harry Potter could do amazing things for my career. “We think you would be the perfect Daisy Buchanan. Now, you don’t need to actually audition. We’ve done casting through choice, not open casting calls, so really just a meeting with you and your agent to discuss possibilities would be great.”
“Oh, well I’m not in London right now, I’m home for the holiday, but I’ll be back to London in two days and I’ll talk to my agent. Can you call me back about Thursday afternoon?”
“Yes, of course. We’d love to just meet with you, we’ll even fly you here to New York. I’ll call you Thursday, then?’
When I got back to the table, I told everyone about the call. “Oh my gosh! That’s great!” Karigan said as they all congratulated me. “I loved reading that last year!”
The next evening it was time to go to the airport and back to London. I gave Jenny, Nicole, Savannah and Karigan hugs—the six of us had spent the day at my house watching movies—and we hopped in the car with my parents and headed to the airport.
When we returned to London, I called Molly as soon as possible to tell her about Gatsby. She agreed that a meeting was necessary, and we figured out that the first available time I had off from filming and she didn’t have anything scheduled was the following week. We called Lauren Fischer and agreed to fly to New York for two days to talk.
Meanwhile, I was beginning to move things into my new house. Amelia and I went shopping a few times and she helped me pick out a design for the house. For my bed, I got gorgeous tan bedding and tan brocade curtains, and had the walls in my room painted light sea blue. I had Nicole’s room painted Kelly green, Savannah’s pretty pale yellow, and Karigan’s light purple, but obviously left the decorating up to them. The family room was light lavender, with a yellowish-khaki sofa and two cream leather armchairs. The whole house was light and airy with a lot of windows, so we kept with a light theme and when we were finished, the house looked absolutely gorgeous.
Molly and I arrived at Heathrow airport exactly 40 minutes before our plane was to take off. We had planned on getting there earlier, but there was an accident on the way and traffic was backed up for miles. We dashed out of the car, pulling our suitcases, and nearly hurdled through the doors and into baggage check. The woman at the desk looked down at us disapprovingly when she saw how close we were cutting it. “Yeah, I know we’re late. But there was traffic and our driver couldn’t get around it!” I laughed at Molly’s frankness and the woman just smirked.
As soon as she had checked our suitcases, I hoisted my purse around my shoulder and Molly and I quickly went to the security gate. Through we went, and we made it just as the final boarding call was being made. As we collapsed into the first-class seats Columbia had purchased for us, I laughed. “Can you imagine if we had missed this plane, Molly? That would be awful!” We giggled for a bit making up scenarios—including my not getting the part in the film—until it was time for the plane to take off, and then we reclined our seats and got ready to sleep through the long ride.
When we arrived in New York, Molly and I went to our hotel and unpacked our things into our conjoined rooms. I changed out of my wrinkled-but-comfy flight clothes and into a nice outfit for the meeting, which would be over dinner: Rupert had informed me that dressing the part for an audition or meeting gave a lasting impression, so I found a 20’s-style burgundy and black beaded cocktail dress with a dropped waist. It was both sophisticated and in-character, and when I paired it with black round-toe pumps and a curly updo, I felt perfectly ready.
When we arrived at the upscale restaurant, Molly seemed pleased to find that Lauren Fischer and two other executive-looking-men were already there. “It’s good to arrive last when you’re the one the meeting is about. It makes you look important, but don’t be too late or you’ll just look like an ass.” She instructed. I plastered on a smile to hide my nerves and shook everybody’s hands. We chatted about the weather and our flight for a half hour or so as we drank champagne and ordered our dinner.
As soon as the waiter left with our orders, though, it was time to get down to business. “Now, Kellie,” Lauren started, “We’re expecting Gatsby to be a pretty big deal. It’ll be like last year’s Marie Antoinette and Memoirs of a Geisha of 2006—it’ll set the style standards for the year. You’ll be a big name in Hollywood after this…is that something you’re willing to do?”
I smiled. “I think I can handle that.” One of the men, James Hudson, who would be the producer for the movie, spoke up. “We made you our first choice because not only do you embody Daisy in your looks and mannerisms, but you also have the mid-Atlantic-type voice many women adopted in that time, because your accent is kind of in between American and British.
At this point, Rob Marshall, the director, jumped in. “It’ll be a slightly older cast because we wanted to portray Daisy as a young woman married to a bit of an older man—it’ll make her affair with Gatsby more understandable to those who haven’t read and analyzed the novel.”
I was beginning to love this—it was a novel I loved, and they were putting so much thought into it to make the movie just right. By the end of the evening, I was signing a contract to appear in the film for a grand total of 7.5 million dollars! I would begin filming in the summer, just after graduation and the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
When we left the restaurant, Molly suggested, “What do you say we get out of these fancy clothes, get into something a little more fun, and go hit a club?” I laughed. “Sounds good!”
When we got back to the hotel, I quickly changed into a black jersey halter dress with a fan-shaped brooch from Roberto Cavalli and black strappy heels and let my hair down so the loose curls cascaded down. Quickly calculating the time difference, I knew I would have to wait until 2 am if I wanted to call Rupert—he woke up at 7 each morning to go for a jog. So I slipped my phone into my clutch and met Molly outside my room. She was waiting with an excited smile on her face, wearing a brown washed satin halter dress with a bubble skirt and bronze pumps. We climbed into the car waiting outside and on the way to the club, Molly dropped a bombshell.
“So, I’ve wanted to tell you this for a while, dear, but I was waiting for the right time…” she held out her hand, revealing a stunning diamond engagement ring. “Mike proposed! We’ve set the date for August 18th.” I nearly screamed. I loved Molly and Mike, especially together, and he had made her so happy the past 6 months. “Oh! Molly! This is fantastic! Tonight will be our celebration, the two of us, for your engagement!”
When we got out of the car at the club and passed through the velvet rope to the party, we each got a glass of champagne and found a couch in the VIP section. Cameron Diaz was in the corner surrounded by a group of friends and when I glanced over at one point, she motioned me over. I picked up my glass and pulled Molly over with me. “Hey, girl! I’m Cameron, nice to meet you!” She said, opening her arms for a hug. She had her signature red lipstick, genuine smile, and little black dress on. I introduced her to Molly and she asked, “So what brings you to New York on this fine night?” with a giggle.
“Oh, we had a meeting with some people from Columbia Pictures, and we thought we’d come out to celebrate.” Cameron took a drink of her martini and questioned, “Oh, and what would you be celebrating?” I smiled, “Well, I just signed a deal with Columbia to do The Great Gatsby, and Molly just recently got engaged!”
Before I knew it, I was sitting and chatting with Cameron Diaz and her friends. They were all just like her—friendly, smart, and a lot of fun. By 2:30 Molly was a bit more than tipsy, so I decided it was time to take her back to the hotel, but before we could leave Cameron and I exchanged numbers and she made me promise to call next time I was in New York or LA, vowing to do the same when she was in London.
On the ride home from the club, I called Rupert. He sounded a bit breathless, and I could tell he had just finished his run. “Hey, beautiful! How did the meeting go?” he asked. “Oh, okay I guess…” I said with a smile, leading him on, “I mean, if signing a 7.5 million dollar contract is your cup of tea…” There was a split-second of silence as Rupert processed what I had just said, “Oh my gosh! You got it? That’s incredible!” I laughed and we talked for a bit, but when the car pulled up to the hotel, I said goodbye.
The next morning, I let Molly sleep in, and I went out apartment hunting with a realtor I managed to get in with last minute. I was wearing a very smart white Dolce & Gabbana shift and black point-toe pumps when we met in the hotel lobby and headed out.
She took me to many different apartments all over the city, everywhere from the Upper East Side to SoHo to the financial district. However, the apartment I fell in love with was one overlooking Central Park in the new state-of-the-art Marc Building. After taking a tour of the one bedroom apartment, with its hardwood floors, full marble bathroom, enormous living and dining room, and gourmet kitchen, I was ready to rent. I filled out the necessary papers to apply to the board, which would then decide if I was financially stable and socially available to move in
“Well, I’ll call you as soon as I get word from the board. I’m sure you’ll have no problem getting in.” She said as we finished up, “the board has only ever turned away one celebrity, and that was Madonna because she attracted way too many paparazzi”. I thanked her and quickly left, and caught a cab back to the hotel.
When I arrived back in London, there was a tabloid sitting on the floor outside the door of my flat. I set the dogs, which I had just picked up from the kennel, inside the apartment and grabbed the magazine—I thought it a bit strange seeing as I didn’t subscribe to any tabloids. But when I paid closer attention, I realized that I was on it. There in the top right corner was a little picture of me at the club the night before in New York. Underneath in yellow letters it said, “young star signs on for big money! Pg. 45” I immediately flipped to the page and found the following article:
Harry Potter actress Kellie Holt, who portrays wacky Luna Lovegood in the films, has just signed on to a film with Columbia Pictures. She will play Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby for a total of $7.5 million. Filming begins in New York this July.
I was glad to see myself in a tabloid report that was actually truthful, and I ripped the page out and shoved it in my purse. My apartment was nearly empty, just my couch, which I was going to donate as it wouldn’t be needed in the new house, a TV, and a couple plates and cups. Letting the dogs run free, I started boxing up the TV and plates. After about an hour, Dan and Katie stopped by. Dan helped me load the couch onto a stretcher-type thing and Katie followed with the two boxes downstairs and to Dan’s father’s truck. We loaded the couch up and put the boxes in my car. “Hey, I’ll be right back. I’ve just got to get the dogs and make sure I didn’t forget anything.”
When I got to my apartment, the dogs were scratching on the door, trying to get out. “Oh, you two are just going to love having a real backyard, aren’t you?” I said, scooping them up. I made one last trip around the apartment, checking every room for anything I might have left behind, before I went to the door. While I was glad to have my own house, I was also going to miss the apartment. It was the first place I had ever lived on my own, and there were a lot of good memories there. I smiled, shut the door, and left.
Dan and Katie were going to drop the couch off at the charity home for me, and then meet me at my house, where Rupert, Bonnie, and Emma would also meet us, as well as most of the rest of the cast. That night was the premiere of the first episode of our miniseries, premiering in both England and the US, and my house had been nominated as the cast get-together spot because it was big, new, and “free of parents!” as Bonnie had explained. When I got to the house, I let the dogs into the backyard, where they frolicked around as though they’d never seen grass before, and then unpacked the last five or so boxes that were waiting.
Soon the doorbell rang and Bonnie and Emma were waiting, dressed up for the ‘premiere’ in party dresses—Emma’s was a black satin v-neck with a bow at the empire waist, Bonnie’s a blue lace sweetheart frock. I hadn’t yet changed into my dress, still wearing jeans and a t-shirt, so as they set out the party favors they had brought, sandwiches and beer, I ran upstairs to my room to change. Opening my new walk-in closet—bigger than the last!—with pride, I slipped on a navy blue pleated dress with macramé sleeves. Not bothering with shoes as we weren’t going anywhere, I went back downstairs just as Emma was letting Rupert and Tom in.
“Hey, guys!” I said, “Welcome to my new home!” I did a little twirl, laughed, and led them into the family room where they put their food next to the rest—chips and salsa, of course, and a fruit and veggie tray. Soon Katie and Dan had arrived, both having changed into party clothes, Katie wearing a silk printed blouson tunic dress. Within an hour, the rest of the people had arrived—Matthew Lewis, Afshan Azhad, Shefali Chowdhury, Tiana Benjamin, and Devon Murray along with some of their dates and friends—and we had enough food to feed the entire British Royal army.
We played pool for a while and then, at 6:50, we all got comfortable in front of the TV. As I munched on a cupcake I had made, Rupert and Tom made a hilarious impromptu speech together, getting everyone in tears with laughter. When the show finally started, though, the whole room got quiet. An announcer began speaking and it showed various short clips of all of us. The opening song came on and pictures of each of us, taken at a photo shoot for the show, began flashing up with our names. In the end, there was a group shot of those of us who had been followed by cameras—me, Dan, Rupert, Emma, Bonnie, Katie, and Tom. The rest of the cast had been followed only at certain times, or featured only when one of us was with them.
The first episode was all about the first week—it showed me meeting with Molly and Carolina Herrera, having lunch with the guys of Yellowcard, and me and Rupert getting on the plane to go to New York. There were voiceovers of all of us talking about our experiences. The whole show looked really great, and a few of us agreed to get together again the following week for the second episode.
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The days were winding down until Amelia and William’s wedding, which would be in 6 days, January 17th. It was Monday morning and I was standing in Elie Saab’s Paris couturier shop getting my final fitting for my maid of honor gown. Elie was telling me all about his years getting started as a designer. As he finished the last alteration and I slipped the gown on, he began telling me about designing gowns for women going to award shows. I gazed at the perfect dress in the mirror. “Miss Kellie, you must promise me that when you go to the Oscars, you’ll let me design your gown!” I laughed. “If that ever happens, I promise you’ll be the first person I call.”
My cell phone rang, and Elie handed me my purse so I could get it out. I saw that it was an American number and answered. A minute later I hung up. “That was my realtor in New York, I got approved for my apartment! Oh…it’s the cutest apartment ever.” I gushed to Elie, who clapped in congratulations.
After Elie carefully zipped my gown into the garment bag and gave me a big hug, he saw me to the door and said, “I’ll see you at the wedding, my dear!” I caught a cab to the airport, where the private jet Amelia had chartered to fly me back and forth from the fittings was waiting. On the way, I called an interior decorator Cameron Diaz had recommended to me at the club and I mentioned I was planning on getting a flat.
“Thank you for calling Three Square designs, this is Mandy, and how can I help you?” the secretary asked when she answered. I scheduled to have a phone meeting with the designer, as she would have to be doing the decorating on her own when I was in London.
After boarding the plane and securing the gown in a safe place for the flight, I covered myself with a blanket, leaned back in the recliner, and slept until we landed in London.
“Oh, I’m starting to get the pre-wedding jitters!” Amelia said as we sat on my couch drinking tea the next morning. Out-of-town guests were beginning to arrive in London for the wedding, and Amelia’s parents were hosting a rather large event for everyone that evening, including a lot of dancing, drinking, and food. We were just about to leave to go shopping for outfits to wear, but we decided to sit and chat for a little bit first—things had been so busy for both of us lately, and most of the time we’d spent together was planning the wedding.
“Okay, now we can go!” Amelia joked, downing the last gulp of tea. I got off the couch and slipped on my Burberry coat, followed by Amelia, heading out to the car waiting outside. Our first stop was BCBG Max Azria. As we walked in, I asked, “So, what’s the mood of the party going to be?”
“Oh, my parents are the most laid-back people. You can show up in jeans and they’ll let you in! I’m going for stylish but casual. But I’ve got relatives coming in that are so into the ‘royalty’ thing—they’re going to show up in taffeta dresses and pearl necklaces, no matter how much I tell them not to.” We laughed as the doorman opened the huge glass doors to let us in. I tried on a tiered white chiffon dress that hit just below the knee, and I put it on hold to think about it—if I didn’t find anything I liked better, I’d come back to get it. Amelia found a pretty blue strapless beaded cocktail dress, but finally deemed it “a bit too dressy,” and we left. We hit La Perla next, where I found a white jersey strapless dress with a black satin bow, but I thought it was a bit too typical-prom to work for the party.
At Bianca Nero, Amelia found a beautiful royal purple pleated satin dress and after trying it on and twirling around countless times in front of the mirror, she cried, “It’s perfect! I have to buy this!” While she paid for it, I made the decision to buy the white dress at BCBG—it was just the right amount of casual style to work.
When I arrived at Amelia’s parents’ London home (they lived in Paris most of the time, but had homes all over the world) there were people milling about the glamorously decorated rooms drinking cocktails. I waded through, spotting both familiar and unfamiliar faces. When I got a glimpse of purple satin in the center of a crowd, I headed in that direction. I finally found Amelia talking to a girl in a light blue taffeta dress and a neck full of big pearls—obviously one of the relatives she had warned me about.
“Oh, Kellie! You’re here!” she cried, looking relieved that I had broken up the conversation. “This is my second cousin, Ruth. Ruth, this is my best friend and maid of honor, Kellie.” We shook hands and she insisted that I call her “Ruthy,” and at that point I fully understood why Amelia looked so happy when I showed up. “Well, Ruth, I’m going to go introduce Kellie to my bridesmaids.”
We got out of the huge crowd and found two girls in significantly more casual outfits than Ruth had been in—both little black dresses. “Kellie, these are my friends from college, Margaret and Angie. Ladies, this is Kellie!” They were both funny and nice, if not a bit crude in their humor—which I enjoyed. We all talked for a bit—Margaret, who went by Maggie, was a stock broker who was unmarried, but four months pregnant with her ex-fiancé’s child. Angie was writing for the Fulham Herald, a small local newspaper, as the style editor. After talking for 15 minutes, Amelia took me to the next room, where a pretty blonde girl was practically grinding to the music with a guy. From a distance Amelia explained, “That’s my cousin Anne. She’s the most normal of all my cousins, but seeing as she’s currently getting intimate with my dad’s new intern, you wouldn’t know that. I’ll introduce you two later. But really, I love her. She’s a divorce lawyer and absolutely hates the idea of marriage, so she just hooks up with a bunch of different guys…but she’s hilarious!”
Our next stop was outside, where there was a heated tent containing a bar and a dance floor. A girl with straight, layered brown hair in a gorgeous chartreuse chiffon dress was getting a cosmopolitan and when she turned around, she spotted Amelia and walked straight over to us.
“Kellie, this is my friend Anna Marie. She’s married to Prince Felipe of Spain, so we’re going to be princess-friends!” she said with a laugh. I talked to Anna Marie for a bit—it turned out that her family and Amelia’s family had been friends since they were little, but they didn’t really know each other well until a few years ago. Amelia went to the bar and came back with two martinis, handing me one, before asking both me and Anna Marie to follow her. We went back into the house, where she encountered Anne, no longer dancing with the intern, and Anne joined the three of us, walking throughout the house—it seemed Amelia was finding all of the bridesmaids to gather us together. While we walked, Anne and I introduced ourselves. “I saw you two earlier, but I was…er…held up.” She said, and I suppressed a giggle, knowing she meant the dancing. Once Amelia had gathered Maggie and Angie into the group, the 5 of us followed her upstairs. We probably looked a bit silly, a procession of girls weaving our way through the crowds toward the stairs.
Amelia showed us into her old bedroom, which was decorated beautifully in soft, pretty colors and wonderful artwork. “Okay, ladies, I just wanted to get you all together to talk! Now are you all going to the Queen’s tea and lunch that she’s holding in my honor?” I nodded, as did Angie, Maggie, and Anna Marie. Anne explained that she had to go to court that day and wouldn’t be able to attend. “I know it might be a little boring, but afterwards we can go out for drinks if you’d like. Just make sure you dress for…well, a tea party, exactly--formal, and lots of flowers if you can.” We all laughed.
“ And of course Thursday night is the bachelorette party, which I’m so excited for! We’re meeting at Kellie’s house at 7, so you’ll need to get directions. Then it’s dinner and partying all night!” We all emitted an excited cheer. “I know! It’ll be great. Friday is the bridal breakfast in the morning, and then the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner in the evening. And Saturday, well, you know! It’s the big day!”
Excited for the week’s events, we filed out of the room and made our ways downstairs. I talked to Anne for a while, and after about 10 minutes Rupert showed up. “Hey, beautiful! Sorry I’m late.” He gave me a kiss on the cheek and then I introduced him to Anne. She excused herself to go find that intern again, and I brought Rupert through the house to introduce him to the rest of the girls. Within an hour, everyone was gathered around the four long tables for dinner, and everyone was giving impromptu toasts to the couple.
By time the evening was over, Rupert and I had danced countless times, I thought I might go blind from the bright flashbulb of the two hired photographers, and I’d had more martinis in one evening than ever before. Rupert walked with me out the door as I gave all of the bridesmaid girls hugs, and we got in the hired car and rode back to my house.
The next morning I was looking prim and proper, doing all I could to hide my hangover. My hair was slicked back into a ponytail with dramatic, side-swept bangs, and I was wearing a black dress with a white bust and a rosette on it, worn under a white satin coat. As I slipped my feet into the black satin peep-toes, Rupert stirred in the bed--It seemed the Queen’s idea of tea and lunch was a bit skewed, as it began at 9 am. He climbed out of bed and came over to the bathroom sink where I was standing, checking my appearance one last time. “Good morning, beautiful” he said, tugging on his white tank as he planted a kiss on my neck. “I wish you didn’t have to leave so soon!” I agreed—I would’ve been much happier staying in bed all morning, but I had no choice, I had promised Amelia I’d be there.
“There’s a cinnamon roll in the fridge for you, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds when you want it.” I said as he pulled on some basketball shorts and I sprayed some perfume on my neck and wrists before walking downstairs with him. The Queen had hired a car to pick up each of the bridesmaids, and it was waiting outside when I opened the door. Rupert gave me one last kiss and said goodbye as I climbed into the back seat.
The Palace was even more beautiful than I had imagined—fresh fragrant flowers, bubbling fountains, and clean air. I strolled along a path with Maggie, sharing a parasol which the Queen had provided. “It’s so beautiful here!” Maggie sighed, taking in the view, “I wish I could live like this every day. Lucky Amelia!” We laughed, knowing it would be much more than just strolls through the garden every day once she was Princess of Wales.
“You look great, buy the way!” I said, indicating the cream dress with brown brush stroke print she was wearing. “Oh, thanks! You’re an angel. It was damn near impossible finding a good ‘tea-worthy’ dress, let alone a maternity one!” Maggie said with a giggle. Then she stopped walking and turned to me. Looking around, Maggie looked straight at me with tear-filled eyes and suddenly said, “I’ve had to make up a complete lie about my situation.” A little sniffle, “I just know that if I tell most of the women here that I’ve gotten pregnant outside of marriage—let alone that I’m not including the father in my baby’s life—they’ll look down on me like I’m some sort of delinquent. So as far as they know, I’m married and I love my ‘husband.’ They’ll never find out otherwise.” I gave Maggie my cell and home phone numbers and promised that any time she needed to talk, I would listen—no matter what time of day or night.
I smiled and gave Maggie a hug. I’d only known her for less than a day, but we’d spent most of the morning talking, along with the other girls, and I felt attached to her in particular. “It’s okay, Maggie, no matter what they think, you’re a wonderful person. You know what you’re doing is right, and that’s all that matters.”
The rest of the time at the party, I was introduced to countless numbers of rich women, almost all royal by either blood or marriage, and each of them was sporting a stiff tweed suit and a neck full of pearls. I had to admit—to myself, that is—that as much as I loved Amelia, I could never bring myself to love most of the family she was marrying into. Still, I kept a polite smile on my face the entire time. When the tea and lunch was over, Amelia walked out with us together for a chance to talk to us all in private—the first opportunity she’d had all day. “Thank you all so much for coming!” She said, “I know it wasn’t easy or fun, so I really appreciate your efforts.” She gave each of us a hug and added, “I’ll see you girls Thursday night at the bachelorette party!” as we left.
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When Thursday night came, I was fully ready for the party. I had spent the last day and a half getting fully rested and hydrated so I could enjoy the night completely. It was 6:45 and I was just slipping on my dress—a silk double V-neck dress with light leopard print and blush satin trim from Roberto Cavalli—when the doorbell rang. I tugged on one of my flutter sleeves to get a wrinkle out as I skipped down the stairs and to the front door. Amelia was standing on the front step, wearing a black strapless dress with a sash embroidered with white flowers. “Hey! You look great!” I said, stepping aside to let her in. She was carrying a large paper carrier bag and she set it down when she got inside, enveloping me in a big hug.
“I thought I’d come a little early so I could be here as everyone arrived. And I want to thank you for all the help you’ve provided throughout the whole wedding process. I love you for it!” She said, and then made me twirl to show her the dress I was wearing.
“Help yourself to some food or a beverage or something, I’m just going to run upstairs and finish my hair.” I said, going back up to my bedroom, where I had been curling my hair. Once I was finished—my hair was voluminous with cascading curls—I slipped two gold chain necklaces of varying lengths around my neck, letting them rest in the v-neck, and slid on my gold slingbacks. The doorbell rang again and Amelia answered it as I descended the stairs once again. Angie and Maggie were outside waiting to come in. “Hey, girls! You look great! Come in.” Amelia said, letting them step through the doorway.
Angie was wearing a very fashion-forward teal satin backless dress, which she announced was a piece she got to try out to report in her magazine—about how comfortable, stylish, wearable, and practical it really was. Maggie seemed to have all the luck in shopping for maternity clothes, as she was wearing a cream halter with a silk bodice and chiffon colorful floral print skirt. Ten minutes later, Anne and Anna Marie had arrived—Anne wearing a red off-shoulder cocktail dress and Anna Marie in a black chiffon shift. We piled into the stretch limo waiting outside and were whisked off to the restaurant.
It was a very fine restaurant, so we sipped champagne and ate such appetizers in the VIP room. The girls were all so fun—we were exchanging ridiculously cheesy jokes, telling stories, and making excited plans for the night. I made sure to drink only one glass of champagne and then stick with water—I didn’t want to have too much to drink before we even got to a party. When we were finished with dinner, we thanked the servers and went back out to the limo. “How about we go to Hyde first, ladies?” Anne suggested and we all agreed.
I didn’t go to clubs often, not only because I had a busy schedule, but also because I had no desire to get caught up in the partying celebrity lifestyle. However, I would never go to clubs if I didn’t get in right away. I felt sorry for the crowd waiting outside in line, likely some of them had been there for over an hour, while I glided right in with the rest of the girls. A girl in the front of the line recognized Amelia and began to shout, “Oi! It’s the future princess! It’s Amelia! Oi, over here!” One of the two body guards that were escorting us around whispered something to the bouncer and he nodded in compliance—I soon realized he was asking to keep that girl out of the club while we were there, avoiding a big commotion.
We spent the night club hopping. There was a lot of drinking, a lot of dancing, and all kinds of fun. Only poor Maggie wasn’t drinking—she stuck with water and juice, but she seemed to be enjoying herself all the same. A hot guy the corner of one of the clubs was eyeing her, and she whispered to me, “You know, some guys like pregnant women…” and with a giggle, she twirled around and approached him. Ten minutes later she was giving him her number and I saw her say something in his ear. When she returned, she said, “Well, I’ve got some company home tonight. I told him he can’t join us because it’s girls only, but he didn’t mind. Later…”
Anne also had company for the night, and when we finally parted at 4 am, the sky was beginning to light up and Amelia, Anna Marie, and I were the only ones going home alone. Amelia had William to go home to and Anna Marie had her husband, who was also in town for the wedding. I wasn’t sure if Rupert would be at my house that night, or if he was sleeping at his flat. When the limo dropped me off—Maggie, Angie, and Anne all got rides with their guys, so it was quite empty—I drunkenly slid out and thanked them for the good time, stumbling up to my front steps. I didn’t get drunk often, and being this drunk was a first for me. I paid for it the next morning, and I vowed never to drink so much again.
Two days later, the wedding had finally arrived. At 4pm my limo pulled up outside of St. Paul’s Cathedral, the same place Diana and Prince Charles were married. William favored it for that reason, and Amelia thought it would do much better with the simple, elegant wedding as opposed to the baroque Westminster Abbey, where the royal family held most weddings. Though the wedding wouldn’t be starting for two more hours, there were already about a thousand onlookers barricaded behind fences and police standing by. I had on a navy chiffon Anna Sui dress with two large, multi-color abstract butterflies printed on the skirt, and leather peep-toe wedges with bows on the toe. Rupert put his arm around me as we walked into the church and found Anna Marie waiting inside, surrounded by decorators scrambling around to put the last minute touches before guests began arriving.
“Hello! The bridesmaids are in the candle room of the East wing, Kellie. Rupert, Prince William has requested your presence with him and the groom party in the South wing, I’ll show you to it if you’d like.” I gave Rupert a kiss and followed Anna Marie’s directions and soon found the rest of the girls. “Hey, ladies!” The showed me around—there were wraps and fruit and veggie trays to keep us sustained, as well as champagne for celebration. In one area were 6 desks set up with hair and makeup supplies, mirrors, and chairs. 12 people were huddled in the corner drinking coffee, who I assumed were the stylists. When Anna Marie joined us, we all visited for a while and then made our way over to the desks, at which point the hair and makeup stylists began working away. I was quite used to being made up on set, but instead of being turned into a nerdy, distant girl, my hair was pulled into a gorgeous updo accented with diamond flower pins.
We were all soon finished, complete with manicured nails and toes and beautiful makeup. Five of us—the bridesmaids—began dressing. Though my dress was pale, pristine blue, the others’ were different because Amelia wanted me to stand out as maid of honor. The other four girls were in beautiful beaded, sequined forest green gowns, also from Elie Saab—these were ready-to-wear, but he had made sure they were all perfectly fitted. Suddenly, Elie himself burst through the doors. Amelia explained that he would be perfecting the final touches on the dresses to be sure they looked absolutely stunning.
When Elie had finished with the final touches of my gown, Amelia emerged in her wedding gown. We all clapped, because it was the absolute most beautiful dress ever. Elie began working on the hem immediately, and when he had finished, I helped Amelia do a twirl by holding up her cathedral-length train. It was nearly time to begin the procession, so as we lined up outside the doors, the flower girl was given her basket of rose petals and the ring bearer received his plush velvet pillow containing both rings. Suddenly small orchestra began to play Canon in D, signaling the start of the procession. Two ushers slowly pulled open the grand carved and gilded doors, and Anna Marie gripped her small bouquet of white roses and calla lilies and proceeded down the aisle as all of the 3,500 guests Came into view and turned to watch the procession. I could see Rupert smiling back at me.
Soon Angie, Maggie, and Anne had walked down the aisle as well. With one last hug for Amelia, I saw that they were all four in place and then I began to walk through the doorway. I was immediately in awe of the elegant, beautiful décor of the cathedral. I spotted a great deal of familiar faces—people I had seen or heard of, though I had met very few of them. When I got to the front, I positioned myself in front of the other four girls, just as we had rehearsed, and waited as the ring bearer and flower girl walked. Finally, as they took their place in front of us, the organist transitioned into the Bridal March. Everybody in the cathedral rose from their pews and turned to watch Amelia walk down the aisle. I felt eyes fill with tears of joy as she appeared in the doorway, arm linked with her father’s, and she smiled widely, spotting William at the front, who couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
It seemed I was fighting off tears throughout the whole ceremony. Before I knew it, we had come to the special segment in which I would be singing—we had kept it a secret from everybody up until the moment I began singing. As Amelia and William lit their unity candles, I sang “Thank You” by Dido. When I was finished, everybody clapped and the service continued flawlessly. In the end of the ceremony, the orchestra once again began playing, this time “Spring” from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”. Amelia and William, now with beaming smiles and linked arms, began the recession down the aisle. The flower girl and ring bearer followed, followed by the best man and the groomsmen, and finally I led the other bridesmaids through the cathedral and outside, where limos were waiting. I let everybody else get in, and waited until Rupert exited, taking him in the limo with me.
The reception was to be at Buckingham Palace, and it was sure to be full of exquisite royalty and upper class touches like fine symphony music and ballroom dancing. However, William had warned us—he’d been to many royal wedding receptions before—that it would be boring, but quite short. He and Amelia had arranged for a more casual and fun reception afterwards for their close friends, which was at Hampton Court Palace, where they would be living until Prince Charles was crowned King, at which point they would move to his current residency, Kensington Palace. The ten minute drive went quickly, as Rupert had kissed me the moment the driver had put up the privacy partition, and we had been at it since. “You look so beautiful, and your singing was amazing” he said between fiery kisses. When we pulled up in the drive of the palace, I got a tissue from my clutch and gave it to Rupert to wipe the lipstick off his mouth, face, and neck as I fixed my makeup. He laughed and squeezed my hand. “You’re amazing!” he said, and I blushed. “Well, you’re not so bad yourself, mister!” he placed a few quick kisses on my neck and then the door was opened and we climbed out.
The reception was just as William had said—We endured about an hour and a half of boring toasts from people that William barely knew (they were mostly friends and acquaintances of the Queen) and Amelia had never even met. There was a bit of ballroom dancing, and Rupert and I joined in for a while, but most of the time we sat talking to the few people we knew, introducing ourselves to Amelia’s celebrity friends. When the reception was over, people began filing out to their limousines, and we proceeded to the Hampton Court Palace for the real party. It was only 8, but the sky was already dark as we were directed on where to go. The palace was grand and beautiful, but it was also very Amelia. I remembered her explaining how closely she was working with the decorators they had hired. When we entered the reception room, there were tables set up covered in white lace layered over royal blue cloths. As everyone took a seat, William and Amelia entered and the DJ played their first song, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith.
Once everyone began dancing, Amelia began mingling with everyone. She came over and gave me a huge bear hug, laughing excitedly. “Oh, Kellie! You were amazing!” She said, and then gave Rupert an equally excited hug. She pointed to her head, where a tiara rest in her hair. It was a gorgeous tiara of diamonds set in platinum and looked absolutely stunning on the new princess. “Don’t you love the tiara? This one was commissioned from Cartier, but The Queen is going to pass down a tiara to me when we return from our honeymoon as a wedding gift.” I was so proud of Amelia, sitting there in her royal tiara and amazing wedding gown. “Oh, Amelia, this is great!”
By midnight people began filing out, deciding it was time to leave Amelia and William on their own. They would be leaving in the morning for their honeymoon, a trip through parts of Europe and Australia for two weeks. I hugged Amelia and William, congratulating them one time, before sliding into the limo behind Rupert and leaning on his shoulder for the ride home. We went to his apartment, which he had just moved into a few weeks before, and laid in bed talking a while before falling asleep.
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By early May filming had long since been over. I’d received my letter of acceptance to Oxford in February, and Nicole and Karigan had also been accepted, so we were making plans for them to move in at the beginning of August. Now I was preparing to fly home to Phoenix for a couple weeks, and Rupert was coming with. We would be arriving on the 5th, attending prom on the 6th, and then relaxing until my graduation on May 19th. I had finished my required classes with my on-set tutor a month before, so all I really had to do was walk, but I wasn’t going to miss that for the world. After our visit to Arizona, it was straight back to London to begin the press tour for Half-Blood Prince. WB had negotiated another mini series because the first was so popular, and so we were going to be followed by cameras during the entire press tour.
On the morning of May fifth, Rupert and I reluctantly rolled out of bed at 5 am. We showered quickly and I dressed in a raspberry gauze tie-back blouse and jeans with silver strappy sandals. A limo from the airport was waiting outside and Rupert brought the luggage out for the driver to load in the trunk as I made a few last minute checks to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything.
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The following night was senior prom. Rupert had gone out to the store and I was waiting for him to get back so we could go to dinner with my friends. I was wearing a pale lilac silk gown with silver beaded halter straps, my hair in long loose curls, and just as I pulled the boutonniere out of the refrigerator for Rupert, he got back. He had with him a plastic box containing a corsage and a bouquet of lilies. My parents spent the next 20 minutes taking pictures as we smiled our cheesiest smiles fastening on his boutonniere and my corsage. Finally we got out the door, to the limo waiting outside.
I pulled up the hem of my dress as I stepped out of the limo in front of Ra Sushi Bar and Rupert took my hand, leading me inside. “Hey, Kellie, over here!” Nicole called from a corner of the waiting area. She was sitting on a leather bench with her date, Brad, as well as Karigan and her date, Nate. Nicole was wearing a strapless draped ivory silk gown and had her hair in an updo with a small white flower pin in the back. Karigan had a cream chiffon gown with a gathered deep V neckline and her hair was down in pretty curls. We waited a few minutes and soon Jenny arrived wearing a raspberry chiffon dress, holding the hand of her date, Matt.
“Kellie!” she cried, running over to give me a hug. I quickly introduced Rupert to all of their dates, who likely had no idea either of us were going to be there judging by their star-struck looks.
Soon Savannah arrived in a jewel-tone emerald satin gown with a ruched bust, and soon after her followed Tom Felton! “You guys didn’t tell me he was going to surprise me!” Savannah said to me and Rupert, but we were both equally surprised. “We had no idea! Oh, Tom, that’s so great!” Now that we were all there—all ten of us!—the hostess seated us in a special room for larger parties, and we began chatting away about graduation. “I can’t believe it’s here. I’m so excited, of course, but I’m also going to miss a lot of people.” Savannah said as our food arrived. We all agreed. We made plans for the last week before graduation, which they would have off from school because seniors finished a week early. We would be going to the lake for a day to hang out and, of course, tan. Other than that there would be a lot of random fun things like bowling, movies, lunch, and sleeping over. Tom was staying until the graduation as well (“I’d never miss her graduation!” he said) so he was going to be joining us as well.
After dinner we all piled into the stretch Hummer limo we were sharing—we couldn’t fit into anything smaller—and rode to the Rhythm Room, a huge event hall downtown. There was a long line of people winding outside, as everyone waited to get inside. Rupert put his arm around my waist and whispered into my ear, “I’m actually a bit nervous. I never went to my school’s formal because I didn’t have a girl to go with.” I reassured him that it would be loads of fun and he had no reason to worry, and soon we were inside where the music was thumping. I kept running into people I knew, and I would chat with them for a bit before going back to dance.
When prom ended at midnight, we piled into the limo and promptly went to Denny’s for a midnight snack. This was an old tradition of ours, Denny’s in the middle of the night whenever we felt like it. Sitting in a huge corner booth, we reminisced on all the good and bad experiences we’d had in high school. By 3 am we were all sleepy, so we had the limo drop us off one-by-one at each of our houses, and by time we got back to my house it was nearly 4. I fell asleep with my makeup on, not even caring, as the sky started to turn light.
Two weeks later it was finally time for graduation. I was getting my pre-walk jitters as I slipped my ugly purple gown over the feminine blue, green, and white floral print Malandrino dress paired with tan leather peep-toes with bows on each. As I positioned my hair in a way so that it wouldn’t get flattened by my cap, Rupert knocked on the door and came into my room. “Wow!” he said, taking in the sight of me in a cap and gown, “This is incredible. I’m so proud of you.” I smiled, hugging him. “Your mum wants you to come out so we can get pictures before it’s time to leave.” He added, and I pinned my hat in my hair and followed him out.
As I sat in a row of folding chairs on the football field of my high school, I listened to the names being called out. They were in the C’s, and as they called out “Karigan Childress” I cheered loudly along with the rest of my friends, who were scattered about the rows—Nicole in the D section was just about to line up to walk, Jenny was seated among the J names ten spots away from me, waving furiously as Karigan received her diploma and looked out over the crowd, waving to us. Way behind me in the R section, Savannah screamed, “GO KARIGAN!” and I laughed.
Soon Nicole was called, and a few minutes later my row was indicated to stand up and get in line. My heart started thumping as I got closer and closer to the stage. I looked back into the bleachers and could pick out my family, using Rupert’s flaming hair as an indicator. There sitting in two rows were my three grandparents, my parents, my sister Megan, four aunts and uncles, and Rupert, all waving down at me. I waved back and blew them a kiss, then turned back to see the girl two people in front of me stepping up to have her picture taken. This is it I told myself, I’m about to graduate from high school!
I stepped in the portrait area, in front of a set of criss-crossed flags, one US and one Arizona, and smiled as naturally as possible for the camera. Once the bulb flashed, I climbed the stairs to the stage, legs shaking, and waited on the top step until my name was called. Suddenly the announcer called, “Kellie Holt.” And I could barely hear the cheers, as my thoughts were drowning them out—don’t trip. Take the diploma. Smile! I took my diploma, shook the principal’s hand as we smiled for a photo, and stepped off the stage, heading back to my seat.
Soon the shock of having graduated wore off, and we spent the rest of the night partying at the Grad Night party my school hosted. Unfortunately nobody outside the school’s graduating class was allowed to attend, so both Rupert and Tom were left out, so they had gone to hang out together. When the party was over at 5 am, I hugged all of my friends. I was leaving that evening at 10 pm, and we would all be to tired to hang out during the day after an all-night party, but Jenny, Nicole, Savannah and Karigan were once again attending the New York City and LA premieres, so I would see them the next week, and to the rest of my friends I gave them big hugs and promised to call as much as possible.
Rupert and I hopped the plane back to London that night after sleeping nearly all day. When we returned, it was 5pm and we went out to dinner, and then spent the rest of the evening on my couch watching a movie. The next morning, Molly called to give me my schedule for the upcoming week. Monday and Tuesday were reserved for shopping, Wednesday I had a series of talk show appearances, Thursday was the photo call and press conference, and Friday was the London premiere. After that it was on to Paris for a one-day press stop, simply for the premiere, and then off to New York, LA, and Sydney.
On Monday morning I met up with Bonnie, Katie, and Emma to go shopping, the camera crew following closely. I went with a simple outfit for changing in and out of outfits all day—a smocked silk scarf-print dress with tan sandals and my hair in a messy bun. “Okay, girls, are you ready?” Katie said, clapping her hands in delight. Our first stop was Moschino, where I had found a beautiful brocade dress for the last London premiere, but I had no luck this time. “I want a drop-dead stunner, and at least one floor-length gown, but hell, I’d wear one to every premiere if I needed!” I joked as we walked into the Valentino boutique. I found my drop-dead stunning dress there, a scarlet drop-waist floor sweeper with the lightest chiffon ruffles on the skirt. When I tried it on and showed the girls, Bonnie cried, “Damn! You need to get that, you look hot!” I laughed and turned to look at it in the mirror. It was gorgeous, I felt sexy, and there was no way I was passing it up.
By the end of the day I had found outfits for 3 of the 5 premieres, as well as three press conference and photo call outfits. The next day I finished the main shopping, and only needed a few accessories and accents. Wednesday morning I went to the salon and had my hair dyed dark brown once again, and then I was rushed off to the first interview set, for CBBC. The interview was once again with me, Bonnie, and Katie, as it had been the previous year. The three of us sat in our dressing rooms waiting for Molly, and when she came in she was carrying three garment bags again. “Good morning, ladies! It seems these people really like DKNY…” she set the bags down and indicated the dull gold print on the front which read “DKNY: Donna Karan New York”
“You’ve got about 15 minutes until hair and makeup comes in,” she added as a final note, leaving us to change. I took another gulp of my latte and unzipped the bag with my name on the paper tag. Inside was a set of two gauzy tank tops, one in red and one in white, as well as a grey and white checked circle skirt and low peep-toe slingbacks. “Hmm, cute!” I said, and then surveyed the other girls’ outfits as they got them out. Katie had been given an eggplant-colored wrap dress with copper sandals, and Bonnie had a white peasant top with cobalt blue embroidery around the collar with black pants and peep-toe flats. We quickly changed into the outfits, had our hair and makeup done—mine was twisted into a messy bun—and finally it was time to go on the show.
“Now, ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce a wonderful group of girls. Premiering June 12th is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and today we’ve got Katie Leung, Kellie Holt, and Bonnie Wright! Ladies, come on out!” We made our cheesy but exciting entrance among the cheers of the 15-and-under crowd and, after the ceremonial double-air-kiss with John Stein, the host, we plopped down on the couch facing the cameras and the audience.
“Good morning, girls, how are you?” A mix of our three voices came out, which probably sounded like “good great just wonderful thanks” to the audience, as we all spoke at once. John Stein moved into the interview, asking us questions off the list a producer had given us when we arrived. “Now, Katie, if the movies follow the books precisely, we’ll unfortunately see much less of Cho in the next film. How do you feel about that?” He asked, resting his chin on his hand as though he was deep in thought.
“Well, actually we’ve seen the script for the next film and I’m happy to see there is quite a bit of my character. They’ve really made her into quite the pistol since the last film, and I’m excited for the great bits I’ve got.”
As John Stein ran through the list, asking us each questions, my mind wandered to the upcoming days. I was looking forward to the premiere most, as it was the most glamorous and exciting part of acting. I came to just as John asked, “Kellie, you’ve just signed onto The Great Gatsby which is likely to be big hit. What’s it like doing something other than Harry Potter?”
“Well, we don’t start filming until next month, actually, so I’m not quite sure. But I got the preliminary script and it’s a bit strange reading lines as Daisy rather than Luna. I think it’ll be great, though, and a good experience.”
“Great!” John Stein said, “Well, it was wonderful talking to you ladies, and I hope you have fun on your upcoming press tour.” The producer cued to commercial and we left the set. After we changed back into our regular clothes and gave the DKNY outfits back to the wardrobe stylist, we were ushered into three separate cars. Mine was taking me to the Plaza, where I was meeting Rupert and an interviewer from Elle magazine, where we would be doing and interview about ‘love in the spotlight’ or some ridiculous title like that.
I was wearing an orange satin lace-up blouse with dark skinny jeans and black patent pumps. I was going to wear the outfit to the interviews I had later as well. I twisted my hair into a clip and re-applied some lip gloss just as the car pulled up in front of the Plaza. The driver opened the door and I walked into the vast restaurant, spotting Rupert at the bar right away. “Hey, Rupert!” I said, giving him a hug and a kiss. The interviewer hadn’t shown up yet, so I ordered a mojito and sat down. Soon, a thirty-something girl showed up and made a bee-line towards us. “Hi! Sorry I’m late, there was a bit of traffic.” She apologized right away, shaking our hands. “I’m Minnie Brandon, the lifestyle editor for Elle UK.”
She looked a bit stressed as she climbed up on a stool and ordered a gin and tonic. “Things are getting crazy at the magazine right now as we prepare for our three-week vacation. But anyway, it’s great to meet you two. I’ve just got a series of questions, so whenever you’re ready…”
We offered to wait a few minutes so we could get our drinks and loosen up (mostly meaning Minnie, but we didn’t mention that). Once we were ready, she said, “So, tell me, how did it all start?”
When the interview was over, Minnie thanked us for our time and apologized for having to rush back to the office. Rupert and I waited around a little while longer and then we had to leave as well for our interviews. We rode together to the Ministry of Mischief studio set where we, along with half of the cast, would be conducting separate interviews to air on the show later. We were put in a room one at a time and were interviewed by one of the hosts for about five minutes. When we finished we were pulled off to another set, and then another, until finally the day was over.
When I got home that evening, I tossed my bag on the floor and crashed on the couch, watching TV. The camera crew finally decided that they weren’t going to get any more exciting footage, so they bid me good night and left. I ended up falling asleep on the couch with the TV playing late-night reruns.
“So, here we are at the press conference and photo call. We’re all getting ready to get our pictures taken!” I said to the camera the following morning. We were all crowded into a room getting ready. Katie had disappeared into the bathroom to change into her outfit, Bonnie’s red hair was up in curlers, and I was sharing a mirror with Emma so we could do our makeup. I had picked a metallic silver python trench, a crisp white blouse, dark jeans, and peep-toe pumps for the conference. It was a good mix between casual and dressy, and I had noticed that a lot of people had been confused on the dress code—Bonnie was in a purple shift, while Emma had jeans and a tee. Bonnie was a bit upset, thinking she had overdressed, but I reassured her that being overdressed was always better than being underdressed.
We were called out one by one over speaker to be photographed alone, and then together as a group. When my name was called, Molly opened the door for me and I walked out, focusing on not tripping or squinting at the cameras’ blinding flashbulbs. As I walked over to join Dan, Bonnie, and Matthew, the toe of my shoe hit an extension cord running across the ground to hook up the speakers, and I tripped slightly. The three of them joined me in laughing it off, though, so no harm done.
When we were finished with the press conference, during which we answered a seemingly endless list of questions regarding the film, a bunch of us went out to dinner. We found a trendy restaurant nearby and managed to get in without reservations, likely due to the ‘status’ of our group. I was seated between Bonnie and Angelica Mandy, who we had invited along with Bonnie’s boyfriend James and a few other random friends. We stayed in the VIP room for a couple hours, eating good food and talking a lot, very loudly. When we decided it was time to go, most people left, and when Rupert, Dan, Katie, and I were the only four left standing outside chatting, we decided to go see a movie. We popped into the theatre and saw Ocean’s Thirteen, ignoring the gawking moviegoers.
The following day was a mixture of chaos and excitement as I prepared for the premiere. I had my legs, arms, and eyebrows waxed first thing. After that I headed home and took a short nap. I met Katie and Bonnie for lunch and we went and got facials, manicures, and pedicures. As we headed to the Hilton WB had booked for us all to get ready, I stopped by the David Yurman boutique to pick up the jewelry they were holding for me. Finally it was time to get ready, and as my stylist April curled my hair and pinned a bit of I back at the crown, I rubbed scented oil into my arms, legs, and chest so that my skin would glow. When Rupert arrived at my hotel room at 4:30, I had just slipped into my dark yellow satin pleated dress, and was adjusting the sweetheart neckline when he came in.
“Hey, beautiful!” Rupert had a bouquet of flowers and he was wearing a blue seersucker blazer over a t-shirt and jeans with Converse, which was his sort of signature style. He went off to put the flowers in a vase for me while I slipped into the dark grey metallic peep-toe pumps and put my credit card, cash, room and house key, ID, and cell phone in my silver Chloe Paddington clutch. “Almost ready?” Rupert asked, appearing at the doorway with a smile. I checked my appearance. “Just about…let me just grab my jewelry.” I slipped the twisted silver pave diamond cuff on my left wrist, and put the huge diamond studs in my ears. With one last look in the mirror, I took Rupert’s hand and we went down to the limo waiting out front. Maggie called my cell phone on the drive over—I had managed to get her a ticket to the premiere, she was due in two weeks and wanted to have one more exciting night before she gave birth. She was arriving with her date, a coworker who was a huge Harry Potter fan.
When we pulled up to the Odeon Cinema, there were thousands of fans waiting outside. I couldn’t help but remember my last trip to this venue, when my date had been Robert instead of Rupert. Part of the premiere was a disaster owing to Robert trying to hit on Emma, and I dumped him before the movie had started. But this time around was going to be great. Rupert squeezed my hand as we pulled to start of the red carpet. “Ready?” he asked, and I nodded as a man opened the door and we stepped out.
The screams were nearly deafening, and I felt like we were the Beatles, returning to Britain in the 60’s. Rupert and I posed together for photos, and then separately. I made sure to do the typical red carpet show-off, posing so all aspects of my outfit would be on display for the cameras. I was ushered over to the reporters and I answered questions varying from “what’s your favorite part of the movie?” to “What kind of shampoo do you use?” Finally, It was time to sign autographs for the fans. A boy of about 12 shoved a bouquet of roses through the crowds of people at me, and I took them gratefully, though I had to hand them off to the red carpet director that was leading me about. After about twenty minutes of signing autographs and taking pictures with the fans—this was my favorite part, and there were so many of them—I was finally ushered inside, where I found Rupert talking with Dan and Tom. I glanced around the crowded room, where members of the cast and crew were milling about, chatting and taking the appetizers and drinks offered to them. I spotted Maggie in the middle of the room, standing with a tall tan man and talking to Felicity, the costume coordinator.
I quickly said hello to Dan and Tom and then excused myself to go see Maggie. When I made my way through the crowd to her, Felicity was excusing herself to use the restroom. “Hey, Maggie! You look beautiful!” I said, giving her a hug. Even nearly bursting at 9 months pregnant, Maggie looked gorgeous in a ruby satin empire waist dress. She gave the top a tug and said nervously, “Do you think so? I was so nervous it wouldn’t fit, but I suppose it’s okay.” She introduced me to Mark, her coworker, who seemed a bit star struck at seeing so many people from his favorite films, but overall he was quite calm and polite. We had only been talking for about five minutes when Bonnie came over. She looked radiant in a light pink bustier dress with white roses and a waist-cinching belt.
“Hey, Kellie! You look super cute.” She said, giving me a hug. I introduced her to Maggie and Mark, and Bonnie seemed to get along with Maggie in the same way that I had, clicking right away. “you look positively beautiful!” she gushed, and I agreed. “Have you ever seen such a beautiful pregnant woman? Nine months, this one!” I said, patting Maggie’s bump carefully. Maggie asked me and Bonnie to accompany her to the restroom, and we said goodbye temporarily to Mark.
When we got inside, Maggie shut the door behind her and smiled. “So, what do you think?” she asked, obviously expecting our opinions on Mark. I laughed, “Well, he’s really nice. A total hottie, too, I might add.” Bonnie quickly nodded in agreement.
“I’ve always wanted to talk to him, but never had a chance. These tickets were the perfect excuse…and he’s amazing! You know what he said? Something like, ‘if you ever need any help with raising your child, let me know…I love children and I’d be happy to help.’ How great is that?” She gushed. We quickly freshened our makeup and went back out to the now bustling room. I took Maggie and Mark over to meet other cast members, and Rupert and Mark got along right away. When it was time to take our seats, the four of us went in together, as our seats were all together. I sat between Rupert and Maggie, with Mark on Maggie’s other side. David Yates, the director, got up on stage and gave a wonderful speech, and as he went back to his seat, the lights dimmed and the curtains rolled open to reveal the huge movie screen. Everybody clapped loudly as the screen lit up and the movie began.
When the film was over, Maggie announced that she was horribly tired and was going to head home. She offered for Mark to go to the after party anyway, but he declined and said he would rather share the limo ride with her. I smiled when he said this, sure that Mark must be in love with Maggie, and I gave them both a hug goodbye. “Oh, Maggie, I probably won’t see you until I get back from the tour. But hey, tell your beautiful baby that Kellie says ‘hello,’ will you?” I gave her another huge hug and promised to visit her and her baby as soon as I returned.
Once Maggie and Mark had left, the rest of us went on to the after party. It was a bit slow, but Rupert and I danced to a few songs and then mingled with everyone. I carried around a Cosmopolitan but didn’t drink much of it, because we were too busy talking and posing for the occasional photo. By midnight, the party was already dying down, and so I gathered as many friends as possible and invited them over to my house to go swimming and hang out. We all separated, so everyone could run home and get their bathing suits. Rupert came with me, as he had left his swim trunks at my house last time we went swimming. We stopped at a liquor store, probably looking quite strange in our formalwear, stepping out of a limo to get alcohol. When we got back to my place, Bonnie and Katie were waiting outside in Bonnie’s Mini Cooper. We all went in and got our bathing suits on—mine was a brown one-piece halter with pink and orange staggered lines—and went out to the back yard to turn the pool light on and set up. Rupert went to get the door as more people arrived, and I cleaned a few leaves out of the pool.
We spent the rest of the night—or rather, early morning—swimming, drinking, and having fun. When the sky finally started to get light, we all dried off and went inside. Nobody dared drive home, as we had been drinking for hours, so I got down a bunch of blankets and pillows and people found places on couches, floors, and even in the beds I had put in Savannah, Nicole, and Karigan’s rooms, which didn’t even have sheets on them. Rupert and I snuggled into my bed and he kissed me passionately—probably a result of the load of alcohol we had consumed—and we fell asleep.
When I woke up at noon, I had a headache and didn’t want to open my eyes, but I forced myself to get up. Rupert was still sleeping, but when I turned on the bathroom light, he stirred and eventually woke up. We took a shower and dressed, then went downstairs to get some food. Rupert began making lunch for everyone, though few people were even awake. I went around seeing if anyone was up yet, and when I went into Savannah’s room, Dan and Katie were in bed under a pile of blankets, still asleep. One room over was Nicole’s where Bonnie and James were entwined under a sheet. In Karigan’s room Tom was on the bed and Devon and Matthew were on the floor on each side of the bed. Downstairs, Emma was awake but her boyfriend, who we had just met that night, was still asleep on the couch. Various people were scattered around on floors and couches.
Once Rupert had finished making lunch, we sat down with Emma at the table to eat. Eventually Katie and Dan came down, Katie in her premiere dress which was now very wrinkled, and Dan in an undershirt and his tuxedo pants. By 2, everyone had woken up and we all sat out by the pool for a while, enjoying the day. We had to leave on our private jets for Paris at midnight, so we spent most of the day relaxing before people began to go home to finish packing after dinner.
“We should do this more often.” Rupert said as Katie and Dan were the last to leave. He kissed my shoulder, and then slipped the straps of my top off of my arms. Kissing my neck, he picked me up in his arms and carried me upstairs to my bedroom. When 10:30 rolled around, we climbed out of bed, got dressed, and loaded my suitcases into the trunk of the limo waiting outside. The limo then took us to Rupert’s flat, where he got his luggage, and soon we were heading off to the private airport.
We arrived in Paris at 2:30 am, and I sleepily trudged from the jet to the car waiting on the tarmac. When we arrived at the hotel, we had already been checked in by Molly, who had called ahead for us. I was glad I hadn’t worn makeup that day, because I immediately fell into the bed in my room and didn’t wake up until 9:30 am. I had just stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself in a towel when my cell phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, but answered anyway.
“Hello, Kellie?” a man said when I answered, “It’s Mark, Maggie’s friend. I know you’re out of town, but Angie asked me to call and give you the good news. She gave birth to a beautiful baby boy about an hour ago.”
I held the phone away and let out a shriek. Putting it back up to my ear, I said, “Oh my gosh! That’s wonderful! How is she?”
“Well, she’s still a bit drowsy from the drugs, but she’s really happy. She’s named him Dean.” Mark explained, and I could hear voices in the background, likely Maggie’s family and friends. I so wished I could be there. Mark asked me to hold on a moment, and suddenly Maggie was on the line.
“Kellie? Is that you?” she asked, her voice happy and groggy at the same time.
“Yeah, Maggie, it’s me. Oh, hon, I’m so happy for you! I can’t wait to come home and see baby Dean!” I gushed. Maggie and I talked for a bit, but then I let her go so she could get back to her visitors. I changed into a blue cotton tunic and denim capris from American Eagle and slipped into black Converse, then headed down to the lobby to meet the girls and get ready for the premiere. It was starting at 4, so we shared two cabs, the camera crew following in a third, and quickly went to the salon.
We spent the next hour getting fresh manicures and pedicures, then quickly ate the sushi the salon manager had ordered in for us before moving on to hair and makeup. As the stylist worked on our hair, putting mine in a sultry, loose updo, we each took a glass of complimentary champagne and I said, “Girls, I have an announcement to make!” Katie, Emma, and Bonnie all turned, as best as they could with stylists working on their hair as well, to look at me. “Well, you know how I have the duet with Yellowcard? The CD is coming out in the end of August, but we’re going to debut the song at the O2 Wireless Music Festival the week after I get back from filming Gatsby!” They all cheered excitedly, and then I added, “Also, I’ve been keeping this a secret for a while…but they’re putting four of my own singles on the end of the album, which I also get to perform!”
We toasted on that announcement, and then spent the next hour having our makeup done and our hair finished. When we were done, we all looked ready to go, we only needed to change into our outfits. We carefully climbed into the cars waiting outside and went back to the hotel. I hurried up to my room and changed into my dress, a white floral eyelet wrap from Diane von Furstenberg. I sprayed on my perfume and slipped my bracelet on, a David Yurman one which was made up of twisted silver links and pearls of various sizes. Just as I got a call from the lobby that the limo had arrived, I slipped my feet into the dark green leather peep-toes and grabbed my silver and gold python minaudiere.
Rupert was waiting in the lobby, and he was in a sleek black Armani suit—he always dressed really nice for the Paris premiere. He kissed my hand and we walked out to the limo together. We pulled up to the UGC Bercy, the cinema where the premiere was at, and stepped out onto the red carpet. As we posed together for the paparazzi, Rupert said to me, “You remember when we were here last year? This was the first time we made an appearance as a couple.” And he pulled my hand up, our arms entwined at the elbow, and kissed my hand again.
Once we had passed through the paparazzi and moved on to the fans, I made Rupert stick by me so he could be my translator. When we finally got inside to the press room, we mingled with the other guests. Bonnie showed up a few minutes after us, looking resplendent in a blush silk jersey strapless dress with a black sweetheart bust. Next to arrive were Dan and Katie, Dan wearing a deep red button-down and slacks, and Katie in a sage brocade halter dress that made her olive skin absolutely glow. Matthew and Emma arrived at the same time, and Emma was wearing a flowing chiffon dress with pink and orange splotchy print.
Clémence Poesy even showed up to surprise us, none of us had known she was coming. As I admired her dress, a black Chanel dress with a lace bust and sleek pencil skirt, I realized she was holding someone’s hand. I looked next to her and spotted none other than Robert Pattinson. “Hey, Kellie.” He said, raising his eyebrows as though we were conspiring something in secret together, “Long time no see, eh?” True, it had been a long time since I had seen him, but the last time had put me in the mindset of never wanting to see him again. He had barged into my birthday party, drunk, and tried to ‘patch things up’.
“Robert, so good to see you…” I lied. Rupert reached over and took my hand, giving me a reassuring look. Everybody got to talking, but Robert kept looking over my way and trying to make eye contact. As people began filing into the theatre for the start of the movie, I told Rupert to go ahead and I pulled Robert aside. “Listen, Robert, we need to talk.” I said as we stood in a corner. The people that passed by were too busy chatting to pay attention, so I didn’t feel the need to go in a separate room.
“What you did at the London premiere last year really hurt me. I mean, not only were you attempting to cheat on me, but it was with one of my really good friends!” I said, feeling like I could finally tell him how I felt. “I was really starting to get attached to you, and you completely ruined it. And now you’re coming around trying to get my attention, and it needs to stop now. I don’t know if you’re getting feelings for me again, or if you just really like being a total ass, but I’m tired of it.”
Robert looked taken aback. “Well, I, er…I was hoping things with you and Rupert weren’t…weren’t real. I want you back.” He announced. I suddenly realized my mouth was hanging open slightly in shock—I wasn’t actually expecting him to tell me flat out like that! It took me a moment to gather my thoughts and put them into a sentence, but I finally said, “Well, Robert, if you had acted differently that night, we might have had something for a while. But I’m honestly glad you were such a prat, because it led to me and Rupert getting together, and I’m in love with him. Sorry, Robert, but what you say doesn’t mean jack anymore.” And I left Robert standing alone and headed into the theatre.
After the movie, I told Rupert all about what had happened. “I’m proud of you, Kellie. You really stood up to him. You deserve to let him know how you feel.”
There was no after party for the premiere, and it was about 10 when we got out. Everybody was planning on hitting a few local clubs, but as Rupert and I were leaving the theatre, I looked around and said, “Oh, I wish we were here for more than a day. I love Paris! There’s so much I want to do here.”
Rupert said, “Well, who says we can’t do it all tonight?” He took my hand, “We can go to a nightclub anywhere in the world, so let’s skip it tonight and do whatever you want. The city’s ours!” he said, and I laughed at the romantic-but-cheesy line. I kissed Rupert on the cheek, and we left the group and walked down the street. One of the camera crews began to follow us, but I said, “I’m sorry…it’s just this is really special to us. Paris is where we first announced our relationship, and it is the most romantic city in the world. Would you mind just taking the night off and letting us have this evening to ourselves?” The camera crew seemed quite happy to have the night off, so they said goodbye and left in a cab.
Rupert and I spent the night walking around Paris. We kissed directly underneath the Eiffel Tower, made wishes in nearly every fountain we came across, and watched fireworks in a park. When we finally felt as though we couldn’t walk another step, we hailed a cab and went back to the hotel. We went up to Rupert’s room and slid lazily into the hot tub, staying there for over an hour until we resolved that we had to go to bed if we didn’t want to look like zombies in the morning.
We woke up at 10 the next morning, and I slipped up to my room to change and pack my clothes up. I put on a black polka-dot tank top under a lightweight green V-neck sweater with casual jeans and black Converse, comfy enough for the long flight but cute enough to be photographed by paparazzi just in case. To dress it up a bit, I added the diamond drop necklace Rupert had given me for Christmas and my zebra print Dooney & Bourke tote with red leather straps, which I had packed with magazines, a couple books, and my iPod for the flight. Once I had double-checked that I brought everything with me, I called for someone to carry my luggage down. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. I let the bell boy in, and he loaded my luggage onto the cart and we headed down to the lobby.
Eight hours later I was sitting on the jet surrounded by sleeping people. Rupert had crashed next to me on the sofa, Katie and Bonnie were reclining in identical armchairs next to each other, Dan was sleeping on the couch across from mine, and Emma and Tom had picked couches at the back of the plane. I had slept for the first five hours of the flight, but when I woke up and everyone else was still sleeping, I couldn’t get the previous night’s encounter with Robert off my mind. Not sure how to express it, I had pulled my notebook out of my bag and grabbed a pen, ready to do whatever it might take to get over his awful attitude. The first thing that had come to mind was a song, and once I started writing, it flowed freely. I didn’t want it to be a slow, melancholy song, because I wasn’t sad about it, just frustrated. Instead, in my head I imagined a ska-pop tune that was upbeat and fun.
By time the plane landed my song was finished, and everyone was awake. We grabbed our carry-on bags and Katie, Emma, Bonnie and I crowded around the mirror to freshen our makeup and hair before getting off. There were at least 200 fans waiting in the airport, a first for anywhere besides Japan for us, and we lingered for a while signing autographs and taking pictures with fans before we went outside, where cars were waiting to take us to the hotel.
When the cars lined the sidewalk in front of the W Hotel and stopped, the driver opened the door and held it as Rupert and I climbed out. He unloaded our luggage, which the bellboy immediately took to our rooms ahead of us. The doorman held open the door and as I walked in with Bonnie and Rupert on either side of me, telling Bonnie about Maggie’s baby, I immediately spotted Jenny, Nicole, Savannah, and Karigan sitting on the lobby couches. I excused myself from the group and had to restrain myself from running over and jumping on the couch with them—instead, I walked over and said, “Hey guys!” they all turned around.
“Kellie!” Savannah said, and the four of them got up. We all hugged and talked for a bit. “Hey, we’ve all got rooms on the same floor, Molly worked it out for us!” I announced as we checked into our rooms. The rest of the group had already gone up to their rooms, so we headed up to ours.
As I settled into my room, unpacking my garment bag containing the dress I’d be wearing to the premiere, outfits for press events, and clothes for just wearing around, I looked around at the accommodations. There was a white card with a phone number printed in black, under which read “Whatever/Whenever Line: Call anytime and we’ll do our best to do what you want.” On the back it had a list of services, among which included “Banana Republic wardrobe on demand” and “Diane von Furstenberg emergency fashion kit”. In the bathroom all of the products were from Bliss Spa, plus there was a complimentary makeup kit from Bobbi Brown and a pair of Havaiana flip flops on the floor by the shower. On my bed I found a tulle bag, and inside were Vosges Haut-Chocolat truffles, and the radio next to my bed was a Sirius Satellite Radio. I was beginning to love this hotel.
It was 9:30, so once we had all settled into our hotel rooms, we met in the lobby. Nicole, Jenny, Karigan, and Savannah and I went down together and met Rupert, Katie, Bonnie, Dan, and Tom—Emma wasn’t feeling well, so she stayed in her room to go to sleep. None of us had eaten dinner, so we found the nearest fast food, Panda Express, to get a quick dinner before going out.
We were all dressed up to go out, so we chose a good club and headed there, piled into multiple cars. I was in a car with Nicole and Bonnie, and I noticed that their personalities were quite similar. I was wearing a pale yellow chiffon Grecian-style cocktail dress, Bonnie had a pink sequined empire shift, and Nicole was wearing a pretty ivory chiffon strapless dress with black embroidery around the bust. As we got out of our cars at the club, I looked around at all my friends. Rupert had been riding with Jenny and Karigan, and the three of them were laughing hysterically at something as they made their way over to the rest of us. Jenny was wearing a gorgeous teal ruched and gathered silk dress, and Karigan had picked a rose and gold lace dress with a gold rope at the waist. Katie and Dan were emerging from another car, Katie wearing a chocolate brown silk dress with sea-shells lining the empire waist. In the last car were Savannah and Tom, holding hands and obviously enjoying being around each other again. Savannah was wearing a Marilyn Monroe-style ivory chiffon halter dress.
We went to the door where the bouncer let us in right away, and found a nice big table in the corner. We spent the evening dancing, and we left at about midnight. When we got to the hotel, we sleepily trudged back up to our rooms. I slipped out of my dress, put on my pajamas, and fell asleep right away.
------------------------------------------
The following morning I woke up at 5 to get ready for a day filled with press events. My first event was a taping the Today Show, so after showering I changed into a white chiffon skirt with black flower print, a white tank top, and a black sateen short-sleeve blazer with Swarovski crystal-encrusted buttons. After curling my hair and clipping half of it up, I slipped on a flat enamel paint-splattered ring and crystal drop earrings. I grabbed my bag, slipped my feet into my red patent leather Louboutin pumps, and headed down to the lobby, where I found Jenny, Nicole, Savannah, and Karigan leaving the restaurant.
“Hey, Kellie! You look cute!” Karigan said when they spotted me and came over, “Are you going to your interviews now?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a crapload of press things to do today. What are you guys doing?” I asked, checking my watch—everyone else was coming down to meet in five minutes.
“We just had breakfast, and we’re going to go do some sight-seeing things.” Nicole answered.
We all chatted for a minute, and soon Bonnie, Emma, and Katie arrived, followed shortly by Rupert and Dan. “Well, we’ve got to go. I’ll call one of you when we’re all done and maybe we can meet!” I said, taking Rupert’s hand and waving goodbye as we parted.
When we arrived at the Today Show set at 6:30, there was a frenzy to get us ready for the air. Rupert, Bonnie and I would be interviewed on the show—everybody else was heading to other press events. The three of us sat together in the hair and makeup chairs talking as we went over the interview questions. The hair stylist kept my hair the way it was, but with more defined curls, and once makeup was done, we all waited on the side of the stage to be called.
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be released in the US in three days. Here from the cast are the talented young actors Rupert Grint, Bonnie Wright, and Kellie Holt.” Meredith Vieira said, and the crowd applauded us as we walked out onto the set.
She asked us all questions about our characters in the film and then about life outside of filming, including Bonnie’s A-Levels and my acceptance to Oxford and The Great Gatsby. When we were finished, we went offstage and were rushed out of the studio and to the cars waiting outside. Bonnie and I climbed in one car to go to Live with Regis and Kelly, while Rupert went off in the other car to do an interview with Dan and Emma.
When we arrived at the CBS studios for Regis & Kelly, Bonnie and I signed a few autographs for the fans barricaded along the sidewalk. When we got inside, we were rushed into the dressing rooms, where I changed into a blue and brown silk kimono-sleeve blouse, denim trousers, brown leather Mary-Jane pumps, and a long gold necklace with a cloud pendant. In hair and makeup, the stylist curled my hair in big, voluminous curls and added a bit of blush and lip gloss. Bonnie and I stood backstage waiting to be called out, Bonnie wearing a cute v-neck dress with balloon sleeves and black and sea-blue abstract print.
“This summer’s must-see blockbuster is going to be, without a doubt, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” Regis started as they came back from a commercial break. “In it, Harry Potter finds love and his friendships grow stronger as he works to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort. Here today to talk about the new film are Bonnie Wright and Kellie Holt!” Kelly added, and we were ushered through the stage door and out onto the set.
Bonnie and I hugged Regis and Kelly in turn, then settled into the chairs opposite theirs and smiled for the camera. “Well good morning, ladies! You both look lovely.” Regis began once the applause died.
“Now, you girls always dress so well…” Kelly paused for cheers, “what are you wearing today? And where does your fashion inspiration come from?”
“Oh, well thank you!” Bonnie said, “I really like kind of a mod rocker look for my everyday style, but when it comes to press junkets like this I try to just wear clean-cut pretty dresses and skirts, and definitely sophisticated but youthful. And, erm, today I’m wearing Diane von Furstenberg.”
“Well, it’s a very cute dress. And how about you, Kellie? How do you pick out your premiere outfits?” Kelly interjected.
“I don’t really have a certain criteria I go by, it’s really just whatever I feel good in. I like things that are well-tailored and have a bit of sparkle, and some really hot shoes. I…I tend to pick big designers for premieres, but when it comes to every day I wear whatever—my closet ranges from all-out designers to, say, Old Navy. Today my whole outfit is from Anthropologie.”
“So tell me about your roles in the Harry Potter movies,” Regis said, “What part do they play in the big picture, and what do you like about them?”
“Luna is a good, supportive friend to Harry even though he hasn’t quite realized it yet. She’s always on his side, and even though she’s a bit off, she’s very helpful to his cause. I just love her loyalty…it’s a point that came up a lot in Order of the Phoenix and just continues to grow up through Deathly Hallows.”
The interview went by very smoothly, and when we finished, as the cameras flashed to go to commercial break, Bonnie and I were whisked off the set and once again to the car waiting outside. We had the driver put up the partition, and we quickly had to change in the backseat for the press conference and photo call. I zipped myself into a dark blue cotton sun dress with a wide white patent leather belt and silver sandals, securing my long curls into a low side ponytail behind my left ear, letting them drape over my shoulder.
By the time Bonnie had slipped into her black pencil skirt, white beaded chiffon halter, and black pumps, we had arrived outside Charley-O’s, a diner Bonnie was fond of. We slid out of the car, grabbed some take-out, and ate it in the back seat on the way to Bryant Park, where the press conference was being held. Bonnie combed her fingers through her wavy hair and I slicked on some lipgloss as we pulled up, and then we climbed out and bypassed the queue of media people outside the park. Inside, we met up with Molly, who showed us to the waiting room with the rest of the cast.
Emma was batting up her hair in the mirror, wearing sleek black capris and a white jersey boat neck top with black paint splatters. Dan and Katie were in the corner kissing, Dan’s hand grasping the back of her pink and purple bell-sleeved, beaded shift. With a quick glance around the room, I spotted Rupert’s lower half on an armchair, his torso and head hidden by the New York Times. When I got closer, I realized her wasn’t reading, but actually snoozing underneath the paper. I carefully took the paper from his hands and smiled as he snored faintly.
He didn’t sleep long, however, because Emma knocked a glass off the dressing table by accident, sending shards of glass scattering across the floor. With a jump, Rupert woke up, and as Bonnie and Katie went to help her clean it up, I went and plopped into Rupert’s lap. “Hey, handsome. Did you sleep well?” I said, my voice betraying my amusement. He gave a sleepy nod, and I leaned against him, my head next to his neck. “You smell nice.” I said, and he kissed the top of my head. We snuggled up together for a few minutes, and whispered conspiratorially about certain plans for that evening.
“So how about we meet in my room at, say, midnight. I’ll order some champagne…” he suggested, planting little kisses on my forehead. I already couldn’t wait.
Once the press conference began, there was no time to get close with Rupert, so instead we exchanged quick glances and the occasional wink whenever possible. The photo call lasted for a half hour, followed by an hour long conference. When we were done, it was 12:30, and Rupert and I got in a car as I called Nicole’s cell phone. “Hey! We’re done with the press conference, and we don’t have to be to the MTV studios until 3. Do you guys want to meet somewhere?” I asked when she answered, sounding bright and happy. It turned out that they were all at Rockefeller Plaza having lunch, so we asked our driver to drop us off there.
Once the girls were done eating at the Sea Grill, we browsed the shops at the Plaza. By the time we were finished, it was time for me to leave in order to make it to TRL on time. I fetched my outfit change from the car and nipped into the bathrooms to change. When I came out I was wearing a black chiffon shirt dress with white polka dots from Carolina Herrera, with a white patent leather string tie belt and black leather sandals. I hugged everyone goodbye, and then Rupert and I got into our car and headed off.
Rupert and Dan were doing a magazine interview together, so we stopped at the hotel to drop Rupert off. I gave him a little kiss that turned into a long, passionate one, and we had to force ourselves to let go, or we’d both be late. “Remember, midnight.” He added in an undertone as he shut the door and went into the hotel.
When I got to the TRL studios, Emma was signing autographs for the fans outside, wearing a blush pink viscose tunic and black capris with ballet flats. I joined her, and for ten minutes we signed autographs and barely had a chance to speak a word, until finally we got inside and were able to talk.
“Kellie, can we talk? I’ve got something pent up inside of me that I really need to get out…” she said immediately when we got inside. I nervously followed her into our dressing room, worried I had done something to upset her. She assured Molly we’d be ready in ten minutes for the overview, and then shut the door and sat on the couch facing me.
“What’s wrong, Em?” I asked
“I…well, I haven’t told anybody this. I mean, I have a boyfriend! It’s crazy. But I think I like Matt.” She blurted out in one breath.
It took me a moment to process what she had just said, as it had all come out very fast and jumbled in her nervousness. “Wait…Matt Lewis?” I asked, trying to sound approving so she might calm down a bit.
“Erm…yeah,” she said, slowly this time, “I know it’s strange. I’ve known him since I was 9 and he was 10! I never thought anything of him. But lately we’ve been spending a lot more time together, partially because of filming, and I just developed a big, girlish crush!”
I smiled. “Oh, Ems, that’s great! There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Well, what about Mike?” she asked, referring to her boyfriend of only one month.
“I don’t know, Emma. I mean, that’s up to you, I don’t know Mike. But…I’m just saying, it’s only been a month, it’s not like it’s a long-term relationship in case you wanted to break it off.”
“Matt is just so sweet…” she said wistfully, brushing her fingers through her hair.
We talked for a few minutes, and ultimately Emma decided to break up with Mike. “That way,” she explained as we touched up our makeup, “even though I’m not sure about Matt, I’ll at least be available if something does happen with us!” She had brightened up quite a bit since the conversation, and I could tell she was looking forward to going back to London and seeing Matt.
That evening, after David Letterman to which I wore a black and white rose lace beaded dress and joked with Dave about everything from lipstick to Rupert, I was ready to sleep all night. However, Rupert and I had planned a secret rendezvous in his room, so I napped after dinner and woke up at 11 to get ready, and ended up spending the night in his room.
The following morning, Rupert and I stopped by my apartment to see how the decorating was going. As I unlocked the door and stepped inside, I was blown away at how posh it looked. The front hall was sea-blue with a white wood-framed mirror by the door, and framed black and white photographs along the wall, all my own works. We turned right into the kitchen, which looked very hip. The wall panel above the stove was covered in square tiles in shades of yellow and blue and there were hooks for hanging pots and pans on it. The counters were white and clean and the cabinets were light wood.
The living and dining room was my favorite room of all. The walls were orange with long brown shelves mounted on the wall and hard-wood floors. There was a brown leather sectional sofa along the opposite wall with a glass-top coffee table in front of it and cream pillows with orange prints. The dining table was also glass-topped, with four brown leather chairs surrounding it. I slipped into the bathroom, which I expected to be average, but it was absolutely incredible. The bottom three-quarters of the walls were covered in small tiles in shades of sea-blue and white, including the shower area. There was a white claw-foot tub, something I had wanted for ages, and white wood cabinets with white marble-topped sink area.
“Kellie, come see your bedroom!” Rupert called, and I shut the bathroom door and found him in the next room. The walls were clean and stark-white, and there was plush white carpet. The bed had a padded black leather headboard, and was made up with grey satin sheets and a down comforter with a chiffon grey duvet. The bedroom might have been a bit dull if it weren’t for the funky accents: long cherry red drapes on the windows and a zebra print rug covering part of the floor. I plopped down on the black leather sofa net to Rupert and leaned on his shoulder. “This apartment is perfect. I’m going to keep it even after I’m done filming here.”
As we left, I locked the door behind me and we headed downstairs. Rupert and I caught separate cabs—Rupert was going back to the hotel, and I was meeting up with the girls at the spa. We spent the afternoon getting facials, manicures, pedicures, and leg, arm, and eyebrows waxed. At 3pm, we headed back to the hotel. A hair stylist and makeup artist I had hired for the event were waiting in my room, and I sat down as they set to work on me. Because my dress was such a simple, pretty style, I chose to have my hair in loose waves, secured into a low side ponytail with a silver floral Swarovski crystal clip
I said goodbye to the stylists, then quickly zipped into my bright blue chiffon one-shoulder dress with paisley print by Dior. Then I put on the bangles I had picked out: three thin silver diamond-studded David Yurman bracelets, a braided silver bangle with small diamonds, and a silver bracelet completely covered in square diamonds. I admired the set and slipped on my lime green satin D’orsay pumps.
When I got down to the lobby, I could see some people from our group congregating in one spot, waiting for the limos to arrive. Emma and Tom were talking, Tom wearing a sleek all-black suit, and Emma in a pretty black ruffled chiffon turtle neck cocktail dress and black satin Gucci peep-toes. Savannah and Karigan were also with them, looking excited and nervous at the same time. Savannah was rocking a gorgeous off-shoulder black pencil-skirt dress with red satin sandals, and Karigan had a black one-shoulder frock with black leather gathered pumps.
“Hey, guys! You look so hot!” I said to both of them when I walked up. Emma and Tom paused their conversation so we could all exchange hugs. Soon we were joined by Rupert and Dan. Dan was wearing an Armani suit and Rupert had a grey pinstriped blazer, Led Zeppelin t-shirt, and dark jeans. He came straight over and gave me a kiss. “You look amazing.” He said in my ear as we hugged.
“So do you…I love that shirt!” I said, but Rupert only looked half-pleased. “I don’t know…I’m kind of getting tired of this look. I was thinking, maybe you could take me shopping some time and help me figure something new out? I mean, you’ll be busy but maybe once all the hype is over.” He suggested
“Oh, of course! Hey, babe, I can fit you in any time!” I said, giggling as we held hands and rejoined the group. While we had been talking, Jenny and Nicole joined the group. Nicole was wearing a gorgeous dress of blush silk with a navy chiffon overlay and a blush rose at the bust, a Dolce & Gabbana piece I had bought her as an early birthday present, with gathered navy sheer chiffon Louboutin peep-toes. Jenny was also wearing a gift I had bought her—I had made a habit of buying my close friends in Arizona designer outfits for their birthdays—which was a lilac Giorgio Armani cocktail dress with a black large diamond-print lace overlay, the tulle overlapped at the bodice, and silver peep-toe t-strap pumps from Louboutin.
“Wow! You girls look so gorgeous!” I exclaimed, hugging them both. “They look better on you than they did on the mannequins!” they both laughed and we all chatted for a bit. It felt a bit weird, this big group of people dressed in formalwear—half of us famous actors—standing in the middle of the lobby. No doubt, people walking by were staring, but we didn’t mind, we were too pumped for the premiere.
Katie, Bonnie, and James were the last three to show up. Katie looked stunning as ever in a navy blue raw satin button-down dress, the top two buttons undone to show a bit of cleavage, and a black croc belt with black patent peep toe pumps. Bonnie was glowing, with James’s arm around her waist, in a silvery chiffon babydoll dress with a beaded bust, her hair half down, half clipped up. Now that we were all ready, we proceeded outside, people stepping out of the way for the huge group coming through. I fell in place next to Emma, and took the moment of peace to whisper, “Ems, you look so gorgeous. You know, I bet Matt’s going to see pictures of you from tonight and wish he had been here!” she attempted a humble smile, but it soon erupted from ear to ear, and we laughed together as we pushed through the revolving doors and out onto the busy sidewalk, where a long line of cars were waiting for us.
Jenny, Nicole, and Karigan slid into one black car, and waved goodbye as the doorman slammed the doors shut and the cars drove off. Their driver would be circling a few times so that they weren’t the first to show up, and could join me on the red carpet for a little while. Next, Tom and Savannah got in a limo and left, followed by Dan and Katie, then Bonnie and James. Emma got in a car with her dad, who always came along to premieres and press events to support her. Finally, Rupert and I climbed into the last limo, the doorman shut the door, and we drove off, down the busy streets of Manhattan towards the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the premiere was at—the first premiere the museum had ever held.
“Man, I love New York City.” Rupert said in an undertone, looking out the tinted window at Times Square as we passed through.
“Well, why don’t you come stay with me for a few days while I’m here, then?” I asked. “I mean, I’ll be filming during days, but we can do things at night…see some shows, or something.’
“Yeah, that sounds nice. Maybe tomorrow I can book a flight.” Rupert said. We pulled up in front of the Met, and Rupert got out of the car and came around to my side to open the door for me. As he took my hand, I stepped out and braced myself for the screaming, which was getting perpetually louder. The red carpet was draped over the marble steps leading up to the Museum, and we walked up the first few steps before stopping to pose for pictures. Soon, Savannah, Jenny, Nicole, and Karigan had arrived, and I took turns having pictures with each of them, and then the group of us.
We finally moved along to the fans, who were screaming non-stop and shouting out requests for autographs and pictures. Rupert and I signed fervidly to give as many autographs as possible before moving along. We gave a few interviews, and then stopped at the top of the steps to get more pictures.
After exhausting ourselves from posing, we moved inside and were pleased to find that the inside of the museum was entirely paparazzi-free. The vibe was quite hip for a Harry Potter premiere—Ciara was playing over the speakers and everyone was milling about, chatting in the front lobby and sipping drinks which were being given out at an open bar.
Rupert went to find Dan and Tom, and I met up with Nicole and Karigan, who were standing near the bar talking. “Hey, guys!” I said as I walked up, ordering a cosmopolitan from the bar. “Are you getting anything to drink?”
“Oh…well, we’re only 18! And that doesn’t quite work in the US, not at bars at least.” Karigan started.
“Well it’s open bar. Nobody will mind! Besides, in a month and a half you’ll be in a country where you’re legal. Close enough!” I said, laughing. They seemed to find this a valid enough excuse, and Nicole ordered a beer while Karigan got champagne. We joined the throng and relaxed for a bit, chatting before the movie started. This was by far the most relaxed premiere I had ever been to, and I was loving it.
“I just love how…calm everything is.” I said as we found a long bench and sat down, “usually premieres are hectic, and once you get to the end of the red carpet, there’s still more paparazzi inside, so there’s no relaxing until the movie starts. This is nice, though!”
Soon Jenny and Savannah joined us, and after I convinced them as well that drinking was okay, they too got drinks from the bar and sat down. It was a half hour before people started heading to their seats, and we all sat down, kicked off our shoes, and settled in for the movie.
----------------------------------
The next morning we were on a jet to Los Angeles. Rupert, Tom, Katie, and Savannah were all asleep. Dan, Jenny, and Emma were all sitting on a couch talking, Bonnie was listening to her iPod and dancing in her seat, and I was sitting on another couch telling Nicole and Karigan all about London.
“Well, your rooms have already been painted in the colors you asked for. We didn’t decorate them—Amelia and I—because we figured that’s something you’d want to do,” I explained, “Oh, and Amelia wants to meet you straight away, so we’ll have to figure out a time for us all to get together.” I added.
“Wait….Amelia? As in, Princess Amelia?” Nicole asked. “I mean, I know she’s your friend…but she wants to meet us? That is so cool!”
“I’m so excited for you guys to come live with me. I mean, London is fantastic and I love all my friends from the cast, but I missed you! It just wasn’t the same without you guys.” I said.
We landed at LAX at 2, and went straight to the beautiful Chateau Marmont where we were staying. With no plans for the day, a bunch of us decided to head over to Hermosa Beach. I changed into my dark teal bikini with white flower print, then slipped dark denim shorts and a deep rose cotton babydoll top from American Eagle on over it.
We piled into three hired cars—I shared with Savannah, Tom, and Rupert—and headed down to the beach. When we got there, it was to nobody’s surprise that there were paparazzi standing around. “Bummer…I wonder who they’re staking it out for?” I said as we got out of the car and got our beach bags and towels out of the trunk. It wasn’t until we had unloaded our stuff and found a spot on the beach to set it up that the paparazzi noticed us.
Half of the group of paparazzi broke off from the rest and began snapping shots of us. “Oi, this is going to get really old, really fast.” Katie groaned as she rubbed tanning oil on her legs. I leaned back on the towel and looked over at the other group of paparazzi. They had suddenly started snapping photos again, and I could see a group of people just beyond them. “I wonder who that is they’re photographing over there?” I said as Jenny cracked open the ice chest and pulled out a package of fruit we had bought on the way.
“It’s Cameron Diaz and some other people.” One of the paparazzi shouted out. My moment of being disturbed by the fact that he was listening in washed over me and I said, “Oh, Cameron! I was going to call her tonight and see if she wanted to get together for lunch tomorrow. Oh, I should go see her.”
I stood up and convinced Jenny and Savannah to come with me. We walked along the beach between the two groups of paparazzi, and once we got around the second one, Cameron and three of her friends came into sight. “No way…is that Kellie Holt?” She cried out when she spotted us approaching. Cameron hopped up from the towel she was lying on and gave me a hug.
“Hey! How are you? I was going to call you tomorrow, because I knew you’d be in town for the premiere!” She blurted out, giving Savannah and Jenny equally excited hugs even though she didn’t know them.
“I’m great, thanks! I was going to call you tonight, actually. Well these are my friends Jenny and Savannah.” I said, indicating the girls. “Oh, by the way, I hired that interior designer you suggested, and she did an amazing job! I absolutely love my new apartment!”
We all chatted for a bit, and then Jenny, Savannah, and I decided to return to our group. “Well, I’ll be seeing you tomorrow—I’m going to the premiere!” Cameron said with one last hug.
When we returned to the rest of our group, half of them had gone out to splash around in the ocean. I shimmied out of my shorts and took my top off so that I was in only my bathing suit, and then Savannah and Jenny joined me in running out to the water to join everyone else. Once everyone had jumped around and splashed each other many times in the water, we all trudged back up through the sand to our towels. I was exhausted from spending the last half hour running around thigh-deep in the water, and I collapsed on my towel.
We left the beach two hours later after watching the sun set. As the sky darkened, we slipped back into our clothes and headed over to Joe’s Crab Shack to get some dinner. Halfway through, my cell phone rang.
“Hello?” I asked, slipping away from the noisy table.
“Kellie! Hey, it’s Cameron. I forgot to ask you something at the beach.” She said, “Well I’m throwing this big party in two nights—the night after the premiere—and I’d love it if you could show up! I want to invite you and your friends, and the entire cast. I’ll have invitations delivered to all of your hotel rooms tomorrow, where are you staying?”
“Oh, thank you! I’d love to go. We’re staying at the Chateau Marmont, we’ve got the whole 7th floor blocked.”
“Oh, I love the Chateau! It is absolutely exquisite. Are you staying in suites?” She asked giddily.
“Yeah, we’ve got the junior suites, and they’re incredible! I think they’re better than my first apartment in London was.” I said, laughing.
“Well I should let you go. But by the way, the party is 70’s theme so you’ve got to dress the part! If any of you have trouble finding something to wear, let me know and I’d be more than happy to loan some things! I know it’s such late notice that it might be hard to find some good 70’s-type clothing.” She added before we hung up.
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The following morning I was up at 10, only to find that Rupert was cooking eggs in the kitchen of our suite. “Good morning, beautiful!” he said, kissing me on the cheek. I opened the mini fridge and grabbed a bottle of organic orange juice. “Mmm…premiere day.” I croaked, still trying to fully wake up. I had just finished my juice and was about to climb into the shower when the doorbell rang. Rupert was in the bedroom getting dressed, so I answered the door.
“Good morning ma’am, I have a delivery for a Ms. Holt and a Mr. Grint.” A man in a tux held out a silver tray on which two envelopes were resting. I took the envelopes, tipped him, and went back into the room. I tore open my envelope to find a brown card. On one side there was a glittering disco ball appliqué; on the other, an invitation printed in muted orange—the invitation to Cameron’s party.
After showering and pulling my hair into a messy ponytail with my bangs left out, I ate breakfast with Rupert and got dressed. I wore a navy scoop-neck t-shirt from OmniPeace with the Save Africa logo on front, a denim mini with a worn leather belt, and caramel leather knee-high boots. I slipped on two bangles: textured gold and silver respectively, with gold chain-link print. Then Rupert and I went down to the lobby, where we met Jenny, Karigan, Savannah, Nicole and Emma, ready to go shopping for the party.
“I can’t believe we got invited to a party by Cameron Diaz!” Karigan gushed, “This is so cool!”
We made our first stop at Malibu Rags vintage store. Halfway through our time there, it seemed the store employees had tipped off paparazzi, as there were now about a dozen photographers crowded around the open door and the windows, snapping photos. Our own camera crew was the only group allowed in, obviously, as they were still following all of us for the rest of the press tour. Rupert and I took a few moments to pose for some quick pictures, but then we returned to the girls and kept shopping.
It took three hours for us all to find something to wear, and afterwards we headed back to the hotel for a late lunch. Then we headed to the in-hotel spa to get ready for the premiere. I got a French manicure and a French spa pedicure, then a massage and an eyebrow wax. By five we were back in our rooms getting ready. I had hired a hair stylist, and he was working on curling my hair into voluminous curls as my makeup artist swept bronzer on my cheeks.
When 7pm rolled around, I had zipped into my dress—a stunning floor-length cherry-red Valentino with a low-V neckline on the pleated bodice and long vertical chiffon ruffles below the waist. I straightened the gold rose that rested on the strap with a chiffon ribbon protruding from it and slipped into the black strappy satin Christian Lacroix heels covered in rhinestones.
“Ready to go?” Rupert asked, walking into the bedroom in a crisp white button-down, black blazer, and black slacks, “Molly just called and said the limos are waiting.”
“Yeah, let me just put my jewelry on,” I replied, grabbed the two red leather Cartier boxes sitting on the dresser. I latched on the gold Love bracelet—Rupert was wearing the screwdriver on a chain around his neck—and slid the gold mounted square-cut topaz earrings in my ears. Rupert went to catch the elevator and I grabbed my gold satin minaudiere with gold rectangular crystals on the side.
I felt like the picture of glamour as we rode down to the lobby in the elevator, holding hands as the soft elevator music trickled along. When the door opened into the lobby, we found Karigan, Jenny, and Nicole waiting.
“Hey! Wow, Kellie, you look beautiful!” Karigan said as we all walked outside to the limos.
“Savannah and Tom already left, and so did Katie and Dan, but we haven’t seen anybody else go by yet.” Nicole explained. We split up into two limos—Nicole, Karigan, and Jenny in one, and me and Rupert in the other.
Our car pulled up about a block away from the El Capitan Theatre. The red carpet stretched for the entire block and the street was completely crowded with fans and press. Rupert got out of the car and came to my side, where he opened the door, took my hand, and helped me out. Screams erupted, and a huge smile spread across my face—I loved the exciting atmosphere of premieres.
Rupert and I split up and immediately began signing autographs. I worked my way down the line, and about a quarter of the way down I hit the press spot. Rupert met up with me here, and we posed for some pictures together, and then separate. Then I went in and began giving interviews. When I finally reached the end of the carpet, I found Nicole, Karigan, and Jenny waiting just inside the doors. But before I could walk in, I heard my name.
“Kellie!” I turned around to see Cameron standing a few feet away posing for pictures in a black boat-neck top and black and white Mexican print skirt from Donna Karan. She motioned me over, and I joined her in front of the cameras. We hugged, and then posed for a few pictures together. “Do you need any help finding a costume for the party?” She asked
“Oh, not at all. We all found really cute vintage outfits. Thanks so much for inviting us, again!” I gave Cameron another hug as she moved on to do interviews, and went inside.
Nicole was talking to Rupert when I got inside—Karigan and Jenny had gone to the restroom. She looked absolutely adorable in a white chiffon summer dress with muted taupe polka dots. I joined them and we talked about the crazy long red carpet. Soon Savannah and Tom came over. Savannah was wearing a metallic silver lame cocktail dress. “Wow, you look hot!” I said with a laugh as she did a little twirl.
I looked around to see who else was attending the premiere, and my heart leapt a little when I spotted America Ferrera across the room in a white satin floor-length dress covered in light teal floral print. We made momentary eye contact and before I knew it, she was walking over to say hello.
“Hi! I wanted to meet you so badly tonight!” She said, shaking my hand, “I’m America.”
“Oh wow, you have no idea how exciting this is! I absolutely love you on Ugly Betty.” I said, not minding that it sounded a bit overexcited.
I introduced America to all of my friends, who were equally excited about meeting her, and then she went to find Bonnie and Katie. Karigan and Jenny walked up soon, Karigan in a slinky black cross-back dress with rose-colored feather print and Jenny in a gorgeous grey leopard-print dress with a black lace-covered bodice, straps, and bottom hem. “Hey! Wow, look at you girls, you look gorgeous!” I said, hugging them both.
“We just ran into Cameron on the way back from the bathroom, so we talked for a while. She said Justin Timberlake is going to be here; hope that’s not too awkward for them.” Jenny explained. We could tell Karigan was on high alert, looking for Justin Timberlake, her biggest celebrity crush. She kept looking towards the entrance and then scanning the room with an excited look on her face.
“Oh my gosh!” Karigan whispered excitedly, “There he is!” She pointed avidly towards the door, through which Justin was currently striding. “I’m going to go introduce myself! Who’s coming with?” Jenny followed her, and they disappeared through the crowd. I excused myself from the group and went to find out who else was attending. I spotted Katie and Dan posing for pictures for the small group of photographers allowed inside, and went over to join them.
“Hey! Wow, I love your dress, you look so good!” I said, hugging Katie and then Dan. I posed for a few pictures with each of them, and then Dan went to find Rupert and Tom. “So, are you going to Cameron’s party tomorrow?” I asked as Katie and I posed together.
“No, Dan and I have a date tomorrow. He said he’s got a surprise for me…” Katie said with a sly smile on her face as we left the photographers.
“Ooh…what do you think it’s going to be?”
“I don’t know…he’s been sending me a lot of cute little notes lately, with special things in them. Like he sent me a letter about how he felt about me before we started dating, and how nervous he was to ask me out—and in it was a flattened flower from the bouquet he gave me on our first date. And in the letter he sent me about announcing our relationship at the premiere, he left the invitation from the premiere in it, because on the back we wrote little notes to each other during the movie. It’s so sweet!” Katie said, a huge smile spreading across her face.
“Oh my gosh, Katie, he’s going to propose!” I whispered, not wanting to be overheard by anybody.
“Oh, haha. No, I doubt that. I mean, we’ve talked about getting married, but I doubt that’s what this is all about.” She said, obviously swimming in denial.
“Okay, but when I’m right, I’m going to laugh. Well, actually I’ll probably cry…” I said, laughing. I gave her a hug and we went off to find Bonnie and Emma. Bonnie and James were talking with David Yates in the midst of the huge crowd of people, and once we got over to them, we all hugged and stood around chatting for a while. Bonnie was wearing a lovely navy blue Badgley Mischka shift with a mesh sequined overlay and silver pumps.
“Hey, have you seen Emma?” I asked after a while, realizing I hadn’t spotted her once.
“No, I haven’t actually, but she must be here, I spotted her dad sitting over by the loos earlier.” Bonnie said, pointing over to the opposite side of the room.
“Okay, well I’m going to go find her. I’ll see you in a bit!” I hugged Katie, Bonnie, James, and David in turn, and then went off towards the restrooms to see if Emma’s dad was still there. Much to my surprise, he was still sitting on a bench outside the restroom marked ‘Women’ drinking a beer.
“Good evening, Chris, is Emma around?” I asked. He shook his head silently, and then motioned towards the loo.
I thanked him, and then pushed the door open to hear quiet sobbing. A tall skinny girl was washing her hands, and when she saw me, she said, “Some chick’s in the last stall crying,” And then pushed past me to leave. I walked down to the last cubicle and knocked cautiously.
“Emma?” I asked quietly, “Ems, is that you? It’s Kellie. What’s wrong?”
The sniffling stopped, and I heard clicking heels, and then the door opened, Emma’s tear-stained face peering out. “I…I…” she couldn’t finish what she had started, and instead flung her arms around my shoulder in a hug, and began to cry.
“Oh, Emma, what’s the matter? Don’t worry, hon, you can tell me.” I said soothingly. She straightened up and wiped off her cheeks, and I went to the door to lock it so nobody would disrupt her. “Tell me everything.”
“I told my dad about Matthew. I told him everything—that I’m going to break up with Mike and that I want to date Matt. I don’t know why I told him—I think I was just so excited that I couldn’t…” she stopped to sniffle, “I couldn’t contain it.”
“Well, that’s good! I’m proud of you. But what went wrong?” I asked, rubbing her shoulder, which was bare except for the small chiffon cap-sleeve of her grey-black ruched cocktail dress.
“My dad said he doesn’t approve of Matt! I mean, he’s really fond of Mike so maybe he’s just trying to get me to not break up with him…but he said he doesn’t want me to date Matt!” She sobbed again
I sighed, “Emma, what do dads know about boys? Nothing, trust me. He’s just trying to protect you—he doesn’t know Matt the way he knows Mike, and he probably just doesn’t want you to start a new relationship where he doesn’t know the boy as well!”
Emma stopped crying and looked up at me. “Really? Do you think that’s why he said that?” she asked, a small twinge of hope in her voice.
“I’m almost positive. My dad is that way, too. Now come on, let’s get you cleaned up. You can tell your dad that who you date is your choice, not his—you are, after all, 18 years old and it’s your love life, not his.”
Emma smiled, and then set her clutch on the sink top. As she rinsed her face off in the cool water, I pulled out her mascara, blush, and lip gloss and helped her reapply it. I took her hand and we left the bathroom, a big smile on Emma’s face. Her dad was still waiting outside, and he stood up to talk to her when he saw us coming out.
“Dad, we’re going to talk about this whole situation later tonight, okay? But for now, I’m just going to enjoy myself.” She said strongly, and then we swept off into the crowd.
After the premiere, which was met with much applause, we all piled into our limos and headed off to the popular club Les Deux, which had been closed off exclusively for our after party
Once we had posed for countless publicity shots, I grabbed Nicole, Karigan, Jenny, and Savannah and pulled them over to a table in the corner. Soon we were joined by Emma, Rupert, and Tom. Bonnie, James, Katie, and Dan settled in at the table next to us and soon we had pushed the two tables together so we were all together. We ordered drinks and the free cupcakes the club was known for, and then spent the next half hour toasting just about everything we could think of—a successful movie, summertime, awesome parties, camera crews, and much more.
We then proceeded to spend the rest of the evening dancing, with the occasional quick interview for the few exclusive reporters invited to the event. We finally left at 2:30am, and I gave Emma the thumbs up as she was preparing to talk to her father about the whole ‘Matt-situation”. I climbed into the limo with Rupert and rested my head on his shoulder the whole way back to the hotel.
----------------------------------------------------
The next morning I woke up at 8am to get ready for my press events for the day. I let Rupert sleep in, as he didn’t have anything to do until the afternoon. I pulled out my outfit for the 70’s part and put it in a garment bag, with the accessories attached in a dustbag, to bring with me in case I didn’t make it back in time later that evening. Then I changed into a short white Peter Som dress with a sweetheart neckline and black mesh scalloped trim on the straps and hem and slipped on my black satin pleated Marc Jacobs stilettos for the Tyra Banks Show, my first appearance of the day. Then I twisted my hair into a loose chignon with my bangs swept dramatically to the side and slicked on some red lipstick.
I stepped outside the hotel lobby and waited for my hired car to arrive. When it did, I slipped inside and rode the whole way reading the revised script for The Great Gatsby which I had just received from a messenger that morning. I was very pleased with the script, and began highlighting all of my lines. When we arrived at the studio, There was a small crowd standing outside, half fans and half paparazzi. A security guard opened the door as my car pulled up outside, and I grabbed my script and got out, leaving my garment bag behind as I wouldn’t be needing it.
I waited about twenty minutes backstage, and then was called out to go on the set. Tyra was looking fresh and gorgeous, and the audience was clapping enthusiastically, as I walked out through the set.
“Hey gorgeous! Look at you!” Tyra said as we hugged and sat down, “So how are things going for you right now? You just had a huge movie premiere last night, am I correct?”
“Yeah, we had the premiere for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince last night, which was an absolute blast. We had our after party at Les Deux and basically spent the whole night dancing and having a really good time.” I explained.
“Well it sure sounds like it was fun! Now, I understand the press tour for the Harry Potter movies tends to be very long and takes place all over the world. Does it ever get old?”
“Oh, our press tours are always a very big deal. For the last movie, which was my first press tour ever, we had six premieres in different cities, and that was really big for me. And this time it’s even bigger, as the movies just get more and more press. We’re going to…oh, let’s see…” I counted on my fingers quickly, “eight cities! It’s a really big deal, but it’s exciting. I guess at the end I really just want to get back to London and settle down for a bit, but it’s still great.”
“So you’ve done the two Harry Potter movies, and now you’re about to start a completely new movie, is that right?” Tyra asked, leaning over to pour us each a glass of water from the coffee table.
“Yeah, I’m actually leaving London a week after the press tour is over to film The Great Gatsby in New York. I just got the revised script this morning, actually, and it’s absolutely incredible. I love it already!”
“You’re going to love New York, too. Where are you staying?” Tyra asked as I sipped my water.
“I actually bought an apartment in the city, which has always been a plan of mine. It’s overlooking Central Park and it’s just beautiful. We’re going to be doing some filming in the Park, actually, and a lot of it will be in the Hamptons.”
“Now, as a model I just have to ask, how do you feel about doing the magazine spreads and being very model-y? Is it weird for your or does it come naturally?”
“I love doing magazine spreads! I think it’s just exciting to get the chance to be a model for a few hours, and I have a lot of fun with it. It’s important for me to show that, say, ‘this is me’ but have a bit of a different attitude with it.”
“Well I just announced on my show earlier this week that the next cycle of America’s Next Top Model is going to be very celebrity-infested, where I just get a new guest star every week to work with the models. I’d love to have you on one week!”
“Oh my gosh, that sounds so fun! I’d do it in a heartbeat. If you need me, just let me know!” I said with a laugh.
Tyra cut to commercial break, and we walked backstage together. “Now, I was serious about the Top Model thing, I’d love to have you on it. I’ll contact your agent about it and maybe we can work something out!” she said, giving me a hug.
“Yeah, that sounds great! Well, thanks so much for having me on your show, it was a lot of fun. I look forward to working with you again some day!”
After giving Tyra another hug, I was escorted out of the building by the same burly security guard as before, where my car was waiting. I signed some autographs and took a few pictures, and then climbed in to leave.
Molly was sitting inside, something I didn’t expect; I jumped a little when I opened the door and her face peered out. “Oh, Molly! Hey, what’s up?” I asked, giving her a little hug as I climbed in.
“I’m great! Getting a little swamped with wedding plans along with everything else, but I’m so excited. Now, I have your outfit for the Rachel Ray show, so we’re going to stop by the hotel and you can change in a room off the lobby they’ve got reserved for you.”
We rode to the hotel talking, and then Molly said, “Oh, Kellie, will you be one of my bridesmaids? It would just make me so happy!”
“Oh my gosh, Molly, of course! Oh, that’s so exciting!” I said, giving her a hug.
I arrived at the Studio City set of the Rachel Ray talk show right on time. There were a few cheering fans outside, and I signed autographs and took pictures with all of them, then pushed through the pane-glass double doors with Molly by my side. I was wearing an outfit I had picked out the week before, a white silk skirt with a light yellow wrap sweater and caramel knee-high boots.
“Good afternoon, Miss Holt!” a girl with a cheery voice greeted me down the hall, “We’re really glad to have you here today. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your dressing room.” I followed her to the small but warmly decorated dressing room, at which point Molly excused herself to go talk to the producer. “I’ll be back in ten minutes to bring you to hair and makeup,” the girl said as she closed the door after me.
I didn’t have anything to do, so I sat on the navy blue leather couch to continue going over my script. On the walls of the yellow-tan room were beautiful framed photographs of delicious-looking food. I sat back, my stomach suddenly grumbling for something to eat, and cracked open the script. I read through it, this time annotating my lines, until the cheery girl returned.
“Hair and makeup shouldn’t take long,” she explained as we hurried down the hall, “And then I’ll come get your and it’ll be time to go onstage!” she left me outside the door with a plaque reading “hair and makeup”.
After a half hour, I was standing backstage with pin-straight hair clipped back at the crown. “okay, Kellie, just remember to be very down-to-earth, Rachel Ray’s demographic crowd doesn’t care about put-on acts, they just want you to be yourself, which shouldn’t be hard.” Molly was briefing me nervously, though I wasn’t worried at all—I was actually quite looking forward to being on the show.
“Okay, Miss Holt, we’re going to raise you up now.” One of the set directors said. Molly had explained to me that I was to come out on the set on an old-fashioned open elevator that Rachel and her guests always entered on. I nodded, gripped a steady-looking bar, and gave Molly a confident thumbs-up as the platform lurched upward. When it stopped, the platform heaved over to rest over the short shaft.
I could hear Rachel over the speakers, and she was beginning my introduction. “We’re very lucky to have this guest today, she was out late at a big Hollywood premiere last night, and she could be sleeping in right now if she wanted, but she very kindly chose to come cook for us instead!” She announced, and this was met with some clapping. “She’s a very lovely young actress that has a lot of good things going for her right now including her latest film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince—Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Kellie Holt!”
I gripped the bar just in time as the platform lurched downwards, and soon the gate door came into sight, with the audience behind it and Rachel standing by the door. When the platform stopped, she opened the gate and I stepped out.
“Hey, Kellie! How are you?” she asked, and then gave me a warm hug.
“I’m doing well, thank you.” I said as Rachel led me over to the table the kitchen setting of the set.
“So, we’ve got time to talk before we get cooking. How are things going for you right now?” Rachel asked, her hands folded on the table.
“Well, things are really exciting right now. Of course, I’m in the middle of the press tour for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. When I get back to London, one of my friends just had a baby and so I’m going to go visit her, and then a week after we get back it’s on to New York to film my newest project, The Great Gatsby. I’ve got a lot of big plans coming up.”
“That sounds like a lot of fun!” Rachel said, “Now, I understand you just recently bought a new house?”
“Yeah, I had been living in a little flat since I moved there, and I decided that it was time to get something more accommodating. I really love London and I want it to be my base even if I’m working in New York or LA. Plus, I’m going to be attending Oxford in the fall, so that’s at least four years right there, and I’ve got three friends from Arizona that are also going to Oxford, so they’re going to be moving in with me.”
“Wow! That’ll be so fun for you and your friends. Now, to add to all your big plans, I understand your duet with Yellowcard is about to be released on their new CD?”
“Yeah, we’re releasing the CD in the end of August, but mid-August we’re performing together at the O2 Wireless Festival and I’m performing four songs of my own.”
“So, does this mean we can expect an album from you sometime soon?”
“I don’t really know. I love singing, but I also don’t want to get into the singing business. I’ll probably release the four songs as singles, and that’ll be it. If I do anything with singing, it’ll probably only be doing musicals. For now, at least.”
“Well, sounds really great! Now, my dear, let’s get into the cooking! How often do you cook at home?”
“I try to cook as often as possible, because it’s much healthier than eating out. When I’m cooking, I get to monitor everything that’s going into my food and I can keep track of it—when I’m out, who knows what oils and fats are in my food? Not me.”
“That’s a great philosophy to have! I definitely agree, eating in is usually healthier. Now, when we talked before, you said that you love to cook, but there’s one thing you’ve never been brave enough to try cooking on your own…”
“And that’s lobster!” I finished her sentence with a laugh, “Yeah, I’m just nervous that I’ll mess it up and ruin a perfectly good lobster, and that stuff isn’t cheap. So instead I just save lobster for going out.”
“Well, today I’m going to teach you how to make a delicious lobster meal. This is something that you can make easily—all of you at home, too—and it’s great for having a nice dinner with, say, your cute boyfriend.”
“Ooh, sounds great!” I said with another giggle, “Rupert loves lobster too, so I think this’ll make him very happy.”
Rachel and I got up and went to the kitchen area, where she poured us each a cup of fresh coffee. She began to wash four lobster tails as I dropped two cubes of sugar into my coffee and poured a splash of French Vanilla creamer.
“So what are we making today, then?” I asked, stirring my coffee and leaning against the counter.
“Well, this is one of my favorite lobster dishes; it’s Chilled Lobster Salad with Mimosa Dressing!” Rachel explained as she set the lobster on a cutting board among the rest of the ingredients.
“Okay, so we’re starting out with four frozen lobster tails, which we thawed out already, and we’re going to split each tail lengthwise and rinse them in cold water.” Rachel said, talking one tail and a knife, and motioning for me to do the same. She demonstrated how to split the tail, and I made myself proud by splitting my tail perfectly down the middle.
“So how did you learn your cooking skills?” Rachel asked as we spread each tail on a foil-lined pan and brushed them with butter.
“Well, most of it came from my mom. She has this skill I’ve always envied, where she can whip up an incredible meal off the top of her head without even looking at a recipe. It took years for me to be able to cook well, and I just hope that some day I’ll be able to cook like she does for my family.”
“You know, that’s a really great story. I think it’s wonderful that your mom taught you how to cook, that’s an incredibly valuable gift you’ll be able to use your whole life.” Rachel said, sprinkling each tail with salt as I followed with pepper.
“I’ve always wanted to take a month or two off and take cooking classes in Italy, as well. I think that would be wonderful.” I added as Rachel put the pan in the oven to broil for a few minutes.
“You know, I did that the summer after I graduated from high school, and it’s where I learned a lot of what I know today.”
“Rupert and I always talk about it, how we’d like to go….someday, when we get married.” I said, blushing slightly.
“Ooh, is this a Rachel Ray exclusive announcement?” Rachel asked jokingly.
“Oh, no, I mean, we’ve talked about marriage. We’re planning on getting married, but not this soon. I want to be at least 20, if not older probably. But eventually, it will happen.” I smiled
“Well that’s great! I’m very happy for you, it’s great to see a young couple surviving in Hollywood, and you guys seem very down-to-earth, like you make your own decisions and nothing is dictated by press or celebrity status or anything.” Rachel said, smiling as we sipped coffee and waited for the lobster to finish broiling. “Now, let me make a few suggestions for this Italian cooking trip. First of all, whatever you do, don’t stay in a one-room hotel. Get a suite or, even better, rent a villa or a house with a kitchen. Trust me, after all that studying and cooking, you’ll want to go straight home and try out your new tricks, and if you don’t have anywhere to do it, it’ll drive you crazy. I lasted in my hotel room about a week, and I had to upgrade to a suite with a kitchen!” I laughed at that and promised to keep it in mind. “Secondly,” Rachel continued, “Do it on your honeymoon. Not only is it a really romantic place to have your honeymoon, but you and your new hubby get to work together, and then he can never use the “I-don’t-know-how-to-cook” excuse on you, because you’ll have evidence!”
I laughed along with the audience as Rachel pulled the pan out of the oven. “Okay, so you want to cover this and let it chill in the refrigerator for about 30 to 60 minutes, but we’re going to speed the process because we’re pressed for time on the show. So we’re going to chill this in the freezer for the time it takes to make the dressing.” Rachel explained, shoving the pan in the freezer and turning back to me. We mixed up the Mimosa dressing, sipped a little of the extra champagne, and put the whole thing together.
When we were finished, we had a plate with romaine lettuce and radishes topped with broiled lobster tail and mimosa dressing. Rachel and I took a few bites from our plates, the rest being offered to random audience members.
“Wow, Rachel, this is delicious!” I gushed, restraining myself from shoveling the entire thing into my mouth at once.
“Now, dear, before we reluctantly let you go, we’ve got a little time to talk. So, what are your plans for the summer?” Rachel asked as we finished our plates. She poured us each a small glass of red wine, a first for any talk show I’d ever been on, and sat down at the table with me.
“Well, I’m out of LA tomorrow morning, and we’re flying straight to Sydney for our next premiere. And after all of that, it’s time to finally get back home for a week. One of my very close friends just gave birth to a baby boy right before I left for Paris, so I’m going to go visit her. But then I have to leave again!” I explained
“Wow, so you’ve got a very busy schedule. How long are you going to be in New York? Did you get a place there or are you staying in a hotel?”
“Well, I’m going to be there for four weeks, which is just a little weird to me because I’m used to the Harry Potter filming taking the better part of a year. But yes, I did get an apartment right by Central Park. Rupert and I stopped by a few days ago when we were in the city to see how the decorations are coming, and I’m absolutely in love with it. I met Cameron Diaz at a party and she suggested this amazing stylist to me from Three Square Designs.”
“Well, that sounds great! Now, you said once you get back your girlfriends are moving to London, and then you’ve got the music festival. Anything else? When do you start filming for the next Harry Potter movie?’ Rachel asked
“We start mid-September, but really after that the only thing going on is going to be starting college at Oxford in August!”
“Wow, I’m really excited for you! It sounds like you’ve got a lot of good things coming up, and you’re very level-headed and prepared. Now, last question, are you doing anything exciting before you leave LA?” Rachel asked, finishing off her wine.
“I’m going to a party being thrown by Cameron Diaz that’s 70’s themed tonight, but other than that I’m just going to spend time with my friends, because they’ll be going home to Phoenix tomorrow and we won’t be seeing each other until August.”
I gave Rachel a hug and we paused as the audience cheered and the cameras cut to commercial before I left. “Honey, you’re welcome back on this show anytime, okay?” Rachel said as we walked through the stage doors. She hugged me once more and then returned to the set.
The rest of the morning Molly and I rode between sets and I did various interviews on Access Hollywood, Jay Leno, and E! On Access Hollywood, I went shopping with Maria Menounos, followed by the show’s camera crew as well as my own. I wore a pewter and gold sequin striped Alice + Olivia tank, dark straight James jeans, and pewter gathered leather Louboutin pumps. We somewhat awkwardly shopped, being followed by paparazzi on top of the two camera crews, giving each other fashion advice and gossip.
Next we sped off to the set of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. On the way, I quickly changed into a navy blue crepe chiffon strapless dress with coral flowers along the side of the bust from Behnaz Sarafpour. I slipped my feet into a pair of off-white leather peep-toe d’orsays lined with gold-tone grommets and a buckled toe from Dior. We got to the set and the hair stylist curled my hair into beachy waves. I spent a half-hour on the set, 10 minutes of which was in the actual interview, and then I was once again whisked away in the car.
On the way to E I was once again a quick change artist, slipping out of my dress and into a cream silk number with black top-stitching on the bodice from Abaete and a pair of classic black satin Louboutin peep-toes. I pulled my hair half-up into a clip and slicked on some lipstick, excited to meet Ryan and Giuliana.
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Later in the evening, I stood in front of the full-length mirror in the hotel room checking my reflection. I was wearing a white jersey vintage 70’s shift covered in abstract floral print of orange, brown, and forest green. My hair was smooth and straight but teased at the crown for a very 70’s go-go look, and I had forest green suede knee-length boots on.
“You look beautiful.” Rupert said, coming from behind and planting tiny kisses on my ear.
“Hey, that tickles!” I giggled, turning around to hug him. “And you look…very 70’s.” I added with a laugh.
Rupert was wearing a navy green vintage leisure suit and his hair was lightly slicked back. “Hey, I think I might just wear this look all the time!” Rupert joked as I grabbed my my purse and we headed out the door. Nobody was waiting for us in the lobby because Rupert and I were heading out a bit late due to our press appearances. We climbed into the car waiting outside and when we got to the party, there were a few odd paparazzi waiting outside.
Rupert laughed, "Of course they'll catch me wearing this awful suit!" We climbed out together and passed through the paparazzi as quickly as possible, entering the party to hear “Stop! In the Name of Love!” by Diana Ross and the Supremes blaring over the speakers. I immediately spotted Jenny and Tom dancing together, Jenny wearing a peach draped knee-length dress with a drawstring waist and Tom wearing a Foreigner t-shirt and jeans. I took Rupert’s hand and we went to find everybody else. Emma, Nicole, Savannah, and Karigan were sitting together at a table talking. “Hey, guys!” I said, pulling up a chair. I ordered a Bloody Mary and we sat talking and drinking, occasionally getting up to dance.
I was totally impressed at the way everyone pulled off their little vintage numbers. Nicole was wearing an adorable cotton floor-length dress with rope straps and a rope-lined bodice. Savannah had picked out a brown peasant blouse with orange and green floral embroidery along the hem and sleeves and fringe along the bottom, which she paired with denim wide-leg trousers. Karigan was dancing around in a royal blue drape-neck dress with a shimmery embroidered hem, and Emma was wearing a blue shift with tiny white flowers, a thick white belt, and knee-high brown suede boots.
We had been at the party for 45 minutes before I ran into Cameron. “Oh, hey Kellie! You’re here! There are so many people here, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever find you.” She said, giving me a hug. Cameron was wearing a peach floor-length jersey dress with shell bust-lining and twisted straps. “I want to introduce you to Sydney Summers, she’s a journalist for E!” she pulled over a pretty girl with curly brown hair. I talked to Sydney for a bit, giving her some quotes for her article and her podcast, then went back to the party.
“I am going to miss you guys so much!” I announced to everybody the next day as we stood in the airport. “I mean, it’s going to be over a month before I see you guys again!” I gave Jenny, Nicole, and Karigan each a hug. When I got to Savannah I said, “Oh, Savannah, I wish you were going to live with us too! If you ever decide that USC sucks and you’d prefer Oxford, don’t hesitate to call. There’s always room for you.” I gave her a big hug, then added, “Oh, and I’m forcing you to come see my concert in August. I’ll send you a plane ticket as soon as I get back to London!”
I watched the four girls go through security, and then I went with Rupert, Emma, Dan, Katie, Bonnie, James, and Tom to catch the private WB plane to Sydney. On the way, Molly handed me a clipboard with a few papers on it, and a pen. “I’ve hired you an assistant to help you out while you’re in New York,” She explained, “And I want you to fill this out so she can know some things about you in advance and get your trailer ready and everything.”
I took the clipboard and began filling out the papers,
Kellie Holt’s favorites:
Color: green
Lipgloss/Lipstick: Clinique Colour Surge Butter Shine lipstick in Poppy Love
Gadget: My camera, a Canon Rebel XTi
Cellphone: my green Chocolate phone
Animal: panda
Food: sushi
Snack: cookies
Candy: Pralines and Swedish Fish
Designers: Oscar de la Renta, Missoni, Ralph Lauren, Dolce & Gabanna, and Temperley
Pastimes: chilling with my friends, no matter what we do.
Musicians: Save Ferris, Rihanna, Beyonce, Lily Allen, etc.
Actors: Alan Tudyk, Colin Firth
Actresses: Nicole Kidman, Scarlett Johansson Julia Roberts
Movies: Lord of the Rings trilogy, Love Actually, Princess Bride.
Sports: Baseball and Badminton
Vacation Spots: Spain, Mexico, France…anywhere!
Games: Egyptian Rat Screw and Speed (card games), Mario Party and Mario Kart (video games)
School Subjects: Not in school right now
Extracurricular Subjects: Photography and scrapbooking
Character you’ve ever played: Luna Lovegood
Books: Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien,, Geisha, a Life by Mineko Iwasaki, A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray, Harry Potter books, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, and all books by Sophie Kinsella, Laurie Notaro, and Louise Rennison
Author: J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Sophie Kinsella, Laurie Notaro
The Basics
Full Name: Kellie Erin Holt
Character being played: Daisy Buchanan
Nickname: Kel (only by parents)
Birthday: October 28, 1989
Astro Sign: Scorpio
Eyes: green
Hair: naturally brown, blonde for Harry Potter films and light brown for Gatsby
Pets: two dogs named Coco and Kennedy
First Acting Role: Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter
Movie Credits: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2008) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Audition: no audition--selected for part
Best Gift Received: both dogs (from parents and boyfriend Rupert) and diamond necklace from Rupert
As soon as I was finished, I curled up on the couch and fell asleep. When I woke up, we were landing in Australia. It was snowing outside—a complete change from sunny LA due to the opposite hemispheres—so I was glad I had packed an extra outfit. I quickly changed in the bathroom before we got off, into a soft pink cashmere sweetheart-neckline cardigan, brown wide-leg trousers, and my favorite caramel leather boots. I grabbed my olive leather carry-on and followed the others off the plane. We hurried to the cars waiting to take us to our hotel.
After we had all checked in and settled into our rooms, we got dressed up and met down in the lobby for dinner. James and Oliver Phelps had flown in to Sydney to meet us for the premiere as well, so it was a big old party. I had slipped into a lilac strapless dress with brown floral print and a big brown satin sash, which I paired with brown leather round-toe wedges, all from Anthropologie. I sat between Bonnie, who was wearing a brown chiffon dress with a laced-up bodice and crème canvas pumps with wooden heels and orange floral print, and Emma, wearing a cobalt blue fluttery dress with black flowers along the bust and the bottom with black satin peep-toes. After we had received our drinks and ordered our food, Katie and Dan suddenly stood up. Katie was wearing a pretty wine-colored floral print chiffon dress with a wine cardigan and suede peep-toe pumps, looking absolutely glowing.
“All right you lot, we’ve got an announcement.” Dan said, a wide smile on his face. We all stopped our chatter—I had been in the middle of telling Oliver all about my outfit for the premiere—and listened.
“Well, last night Dan and I had a special date…” Katie started, and then let out a girlish giggle. “And, well…we’re engaged!” She cried out, holding up her left hand to reveal an enormous diamond.
Shocked and excited by the news, we all started shouting our congratulations and jumping up to hug them. The conversation for the rest of dinner was about the wedding. They were planning on having it on the beach in Monaco very soon, probably around the end of August. They didn’t want to have a big media-filled wedding, so it was going to be all of us, plus a few other friends and family. Katie asked Emma to be her maid of honor and me and Bonnie to be her bridesmaids, and we happily agreed to do it.
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The following day, I went up to the penthouse suite of the hotel we were staying in. Bonnie, Emma, Katie and I had convinced the execs at WB to get it for us so we could get ready for the premiere together, so we went first thing in the morning. We hired a massage therapist to give us each a massage, and ordered room service for breakfast. As we ate our lunch—once again, room service—we had manicures and pedicures done, then we each got a facial. By five o’clock we had actually finished getting ready, feeling refreshed from the nice lazy day and ready to go out for some fun. The outfit I had chosen for the premiere was a black jersey dress with a low scoop neck and slight ruching across the stomach, which I paired with red satin heels and the Pièce de résistance, a colorful necklace consisting of leather-covered stones. Every stone was a circle, some multi-faceted and some spherical, and the soft leather varied from black, red, white, yellow, blue, and navy green. It was sure to be a standout piece, and I smiled as I eyed the necklace in the mirror.
“Hey, are you ready to go?” Bonnie asked, coming to stand next to me in the mirror. She was wearing a mod scoop-neck shift with cap sleeves in a white print with large yellow circular-type shapes bordered in black. “Wow, that necklace is awesome!” She said, turning to look at it closely. “What is it made of?”
“It’s leather-covered stones. And hey, cute dress!” I replied. Bonnie slipped into her black round-toe leather pumps and thanked me. I slipped on my black knee-length coat and checked my hair—pulled back into a sleek ponytail to match the casual, trendy outfit—one last time in the mirror before following the girls to the elevator.
Katie was wearing a gorgeous black chiffon Temperley dress with a pretty white lace-covered bust and straps and black and white embroidery and beading at the hem, giving it a very Indian look. She had slipped off her ring for the evening, as she and Dan didn’t want the press to find out they were engaged—they would simply make an announcement after the wedding.
Emma came out after me, wearing a black chiffon dress with a ruffled skirt and a black beaded bodice, and black peep-toe t-strap pumps. We met up with the guys downstairs and headed off to the premiere.
It was awfully cold outside, so the red carpet wasn’t very enjoyable, but I tolerated it well enough and tried my best not to look cold for the pictures. I even took my coat off for some of the pictures just so there would be shots of my dress. However, I was glad to finally get inside and warm up. Rupert wrapped his arms around me to keep me warm, but he seemed a bit distant the whole time, not in the mood for talking much. I brushed it off and simply spent the time before the screening talking to everybody else. Andrew Sims from Mugglecast, a Harry Potter fan podcast, was among the crowd, and I talked to him for a while. We broke off from talking when the call was finally made for everyone to enter the theatre for the screening. “Hey, it was nice to meet you. Man, the cast is never going to believe I got to talk to you!” Andrew said as we walked into the theatre, then added with a laugh, “Unless you guest starred. Haha!”
“Oh, well, if you guys ever need a guest star, I’m up for it! I love Mugglecast!” I said, writing my phone number on a piece of paper and handing it to him. “Really, call me if you want me to do it.” Andrew’s jaw dropped and I laughed. “What?”
“Yeah, now they’re really not going to believe me!” Andrew said, laughing, “I mean, we’ve never had a guest star that big, the best we’ve done is a fake Hagrid.”
“Ha! Yeah, I remember that episode. Well, if they don’t believe you, just surprise them!” I said goodbye to Andrew and met up with everyone else at our seats.
The film was great, and afterwards we headed out to the after party. I danced with Rupert for a bit, but mostly we sat around at a few random tables and talked and drank. I spotted Andrew with a friend and pulled them over to meet everyone. “Guys, this is Andrew Sims, he’s a co-host for Mugglecast!” Andrew seemed completely star-struck by all of us, but he quickly warmed up to us. By the end of the night, he was a bit drunk and kept saying, “Man, I can’t wait for you to be on the show! I’m gonna call you! I’ll call you!” Dan and I walked outside with him and hailed a cab to take him back to his hotel, and I said, “Okay, Andrew, I’m expecting that call now! Don’t let me down!” with a smile.
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When I was finally home, my number one priority was to visit Maggie. The morning after we returned, I got up early despite my jet lag and got ready to head over to her house. I slipped on a pair of James jeans and a slate blue silk button-up blouse with a smocked waist and billowing sleeves, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and grabbed my brown leather Coach bag and left. As I was driving to her house, Rupert called. “Hey, you want to come over to my place for dinner tonight?” He asked simply. We made plans to meet at his flat just as I pulled into Maggie’s drive.
“Oh my gosh, hello, gorgeous!” was the first thing that came out of my mind when I saw Maggie. She had slimmed down majorly since she had given birth, and looked very svelte and lovely. I gave her a big hug and followed her inside, to find a beautiful baby boy lying in a pram. “I thought we’d go to lunch.” Maggie said, giving her baby a kiss. We headed out to an outdoor café and watched shoppers and professionals walk by, talking on cell phones and gossiping.
“So, catch me up. How have you been?” I asked Maggie, and she smiled. “Well, Mark is just amazing. He’s been helping me with baby Dean all the time.”
“And are you two dating?” I asked, excited for Maggie
“Well, no. He hasn’t exactly made a move, and I’m too nervous to do it myself. But all this time we’re spending together has got to count for something, right?”
“Oh, Maggie, I think caring for a baby is possibly the least romantic thing ever, no matter how wonderful the baby is. You have got to get going with this guy, or he’ll never get the hint that you fancy him!”
Maggie and I spent the rest of our lunch formulating a plan for her to casually drop hints for Mark, and by the end we were laughing as we wondered what their first date would be like.
“We’ll probably go shopping for diapers.” Maggie said. “I love my baby boy, but let me tell you—without Mark’s help, I might die. It’s so difficult to get any time for myself.”
“Maggie, if I’m in town when you two go on your first date, I’ll be happy to babysit! And I can help you, too, if you need me!” I added reassuringly
After lunch I dropped Maggie off at home and helped her get Mark down for a nap before leaving.
Later that evening, I was ready to head out to Rupert’s flat for our special dinner. I had dressed in pretty black jersey dress with a low v-neck, multicolor beaded empire waist, and a bubble hem. I felt flirty and cute, especially since I had made sure to put on my best bra and knickers—dinner at each others’ place usually meant spending the night, too. I arrived at his flat right on time and knocked, and when I opened I could smell the aroma of delicious pasta.
“Hey, babe! Mm, you made your Alfredo. It’s my favorite!” I said, kissing his cheek as I walked in. I tossed my purse on the counter and we sat down at the table to eat. “So, why the last minute dinner date?” I added as I dipped my bread in olive oil and took a bite.
“Um, listen, I’ve been thinking a lot since Katie and Dan announced their engagement…” he started.
My heart fluttered a bit…was he about to propose? We had agreed to wait until I was 20, though, so I couldn’t see why he would change the plans and do it now.
“Well, you’re going to be gone for a month filming. And, well, I was thinking…maybe we should take a break.” He continued, and I choked on a piece of bread.
Coughing, clearing my throat, I finally calmed down enough to consider what he said. “You….take a break?” I sputtered, feeling tears prickling at my eyes and blinking them back.
“I know, it’s hard, but we can get back together when you return. I just think maybe we should try…seeing other people. See how it is.”
I took a deep breath. “We…we were going to get married. Is this just…an excuse to break up for good?” I asked, my voice quivering.
“No! No. I just want to try this out, and when you get back we’ll get back together. Is that okay with you?”
I wanted to shout, ‘no! of course it’s not okay with me!’ but I couldn’t. Instead, I forced a smile and said, “er, yeah. That’s good.”
“Well, we’ve got a week before you leave that we can still be together, you know.” Rupert added sheepishly.
“Um, I…I have to go.” I said, dropping my bread and getting up from my chair.
“Wait, Kellie, don’t leave yet. We’re not broken up yet!” Rupert said, taking my hand. I grabbed my purse, let go of his hand, and left.
I thought I might just start crying the moment I got in my car, but I was surprisingly calm the whole way home. My mobile rang twice, Rupert both times, but I ignored it. However, when I got to my house, dropped my keys and purse on the counter, and went up to my bedroom, I broke down. I laid on my bed and cried, letting my puppies cuddle up with me, until I fell asleep.
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“I can’t believe Rupert would do something like that!” Katie said the next day as we ate lunch at my house. She had come to help me pack, but the moment she got there I broke the news to her.
“I know. I mean, he says he wants to get back together when I get back. But if he loves me, he shouldn’t feel like taking a break is necessary, should he?” I asked, eating a piece of sushi.
“No, honey, he shouldn’t. I don’t know what’s going on in Rupert’s mind right now, but maybe you should just let him do this and when you get back you guys can figure things out. He’s obviously got a problem he needs to resolve on his own.”
I spent the rest of the day alternating between packing and crying, and ultimately asked Katie to tell Bonnie and Emma the news—I didn’t think I could handle having to tell them about it as well.
By early evening Katie and I had successfully packed everything I would need for the next month, with the exception of a few things I had to go buy.
"Are you sure you don't want to go out with me and Emma and Bonnie? You can get your mind off everything, you know." Katie offered before she left.
"No, I won't be able to stop thinking about this, even if I go out. I'd rather just stay home and eat junk food and watch sappy love movies." I said with a small laugh.
"Okay. Well, listen, I'll have Dan talk to Rupert and see what's up with him, if you want?" Katie said
"Yeah, I suppose he can do that."
I gave Katie a hug and thanked her for everything, then after she left I changed into my pajamas and dialed the drop-off grocery service. I ordered all the junk food I could think of, including Ben and Jerry's ice cream, licorice, chips, cookies, and pop. I also got microwave meals and oven pizza so that I could spend the next few days being a hermit and avoiding outside life. I made a few quick calls to Jenny, Nicole, Karigan, and Savannah to tell them, so that they would hear it from me and not from rumors or tabloids.
When the service came and dropped off my food, I paid and tipped them, then went inside and popped in Love Actually, my first love movie of the night.
Four days later I had successfully watched every single love movie I owned. I had eaten a lot of junk food, cried countless times, and talked to Bonnie, Emma, Katie, and Maggie numerous times, who assured me that Rupert was being a jerk and I had every right to be heartbroken. But now it was time to go to New York, suck it up, and look pretty for the cameras. My luggage was in the car that I had ordered and I was saying a silent goodbye to my house. I picked up the two dog carriers which contained my nervous puppies, and handed them to the driver. Then I locked the front door and hopped in the car.
When I arrived in New York City, the combination of an exciting new movie and a lot of sleep on the plane over had me feeling upbeat. There was a limo waiting for me and I climbed in as the driver put my bags in the trunk. However, there was someone else inside the limo, and I jumped a foot when I noticed a pretty girl with long black hair sitting in the sideways bench seat.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you!" she said, holding up her hands as if to show she wasn't armed or something. "I'm Carmen, your new assistant. I thought Molly told you she had hired me, but..."
"Oh, Carmen! Of course. I didn't realize you would be meeting me here." I explained, holding my hand out to shake hers. She smiled, and I noticed she was very pretty. "Well, it's nice to meet you. Um, I've never had an assistant before, actually, so I'm a little sketchy on what you're supposed to do."
"Well, I make up your schedule, field all your business calls, run your errands, basically anything you need that you don't want to do yourself." Carmen explained in her kind, upbeat voice.
"Oh. Well, I mean, I don't mind doing things like that. But I suppose having someone to help me out around the set and stuff might be nice. Well, okay! So what's the plan for today?"
"Well, you don't have anything planned. But we can do whatever you'd like to do! Tomorrow is when filming starts, so you might be pretty busy for the rest of your time here, so is there anything you want to get out of the way now?"
"Well, I guess I should get home and unpack. I don't know the city all that well; I've only been here for premieres and fashion week, except for a family vacation a few years ago. What do you do for fun?”
"Well, I go to clubs with my friends at night. And during the day there are great places to shop, of course. I can set you up to go to a fashion magazine where you can try on all the clothes you'd like, and they usually give you great freebies."
"Wow! This is great. Um, maybe we can go shopping after I unpack. That sounds like fun!"
Two hours later I had managed to unpack most of my things, with the help of Carmen, and we were now riding in the limo towards Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side, where we could go shopping. The driver dropped us in front of Louis Vuitton and we went directly inside.
"So, tell me about yourself! I know I gave you that whole list thing about me but I don't know anything about you." I said to Carmen as we browsed through a display of handbags. "What did you do before Molly hired you?"
"I was an assistant to Sarah Jessica Parker" she said, deadpan, and then broke into a smile. "No, just kidding. I was a sales associate at Neiman Marcus. Chanel beauty counter, to be specific. Oh, and speaking of those questions, there are a lot of things I'll need to know that aren't on that."
"Okay, ask away!" I said, trying on a shoe.
"Well, how do you like your coffee?"
"I like French Vanilla creamer, or a white mocha if available. Who's your favorite designer?"
"Marc Jacobs, and Coach for accessories. What's your status?"
I paused at this one, not sure what to say. "It’s complicated. Um, I've been dating Rupert Grint for almost a year, and suddenly he decided he wanted to 'take a break' so I guess I'm sort of single."
"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have asked that." Carmen said
"No, no, it's nothing! I mean, whatever. If he wants to see other people this month, then I guess I can too. Are there any cute dateable guys on the crew?" I added with a nervous laugh.
Carmen was quiet for a moment, then smiled and said, "The director of photography is a total hottie, just in case you're interested."
I bought a pair of black satin high heel sandals with a pretty blue fabric orchid on the silver leather toe strap with a tiny silver LV logo in the center, which I thought might be perfect for dating because they were quite sexy, but deep down I didn't really think I'd try dating.
When we got to Coach, I declared, "Well, I think I want to get a cute new handbag for carrying to the set--a nice big tote for my essentials." Carmen helped me look around, and I noticed she was eyeing a cute Gallery tote. So, once I had picked out my bag, I grabbed the one she was looking at and brought them both to the register. She seemed to think I was buying them both for myself, but I asked for them to be bagged separately, and handed Carmen the bag with her purse. "Here you go--a welcome gift!"
Carmen was so excited about the purse that she was beaming when we got outside. However, we came across a newsstand on our walk to the next store, and when I stopped to buy the newest Vogue issue, I spotted the new US Weekly and my heart dropped. On the cover was a picture of me and Rupert at the LA premiere, with a huge tear between us. The caption read, "SPLIT: London's favorite young couple says 'it's over'" I knew I shouldn't read it, because it would only make me sad, but I grabbed the copy despite myself and paid for the two magazines.
When I got home later that evening--Carmen and I had gone to dinner at my favorite restaurant, Maria Pia--I plopped down on the couch and opened the tabloid. Inside, the article read:
London's favorite pair has split up, according to our source. Kellie Holt and Rupert Grint were about to reach their one-year anniversary next month, but now they've called it quits. Last week when they were in LA promoting their latest film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Holt reported to talk show host Rachel Ray that marriage was in the future, saying, "We’ve talked about marriage. We’re planning on getting married, but not this soon. I want to be at least 20, if not older probably. But eventually, it will happen." According to our source, Grint was the one to suggest the split shortly after they returned from their press tour. Kellie is going to be in New York for the month of July to film her latest piece, Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, and Grint reportedly declared that they should take a break and see other people. No word yet if either are seeing anybody new yet.
The rest of the two-page spread consisted of pictures of me and Rupert doing affectionate things such as hugging, kissing, and holding hands, as well as a few in which we looked mad at each other, but which were really just photos taken at an inopportune moment, as well as a list titled, "Who will they date next?" with eligible bachelors and bachelorettes they thought we might date. I scanned the list to get a laugh, and nixed every one of them--Aaron Carter? No thanks. Joe Jonas? Not happening. Haley Joel Osment? I didn't even know he was still acting! I fell asleep thinking about the breakup and that silly list, a first for the night before filming--I usually couldn't stop thinking about the excitement of getting back to the set to act.
The next morning I woke up early to get ready for my first day. I wasn't sure what to wear to the very first day of a new film, because it had been over a year since I had started Harry Potter and even that had been a bit different than this--everyone there had already known each other for years; here, we were all meeting for the first time. I finally decided on a dress, choosing a completely black tartan dress with a v-neck that looked very chic and cute, especially for being plaid. I paired it with a pair of black round-toe Louboutins and did my hair in soft waves, despite the fact that it was about to be dyed and cut for the part.
I pushed through the revolving doors of my building and out onto the busy sidewalk, the humid air of the crowded city hitting me immediately. "Good morning, Charlie!" I said cheerily to the doorman I had met the day before. He opened the door of the car waiting for me and tapped the roof as it drove off. "Morning, Carmen!" I said, no longer surprised to find Carmen waiting in the car for me. She handed me a starbucks cup. "Good morning! I got you a white mocha. Molly's agency set up a credit card for me to use when it comes to purchases for you, so you can have starbucks whenever you want!" she said with a smile.
When we arrived at the studio in the heart of Times Square, we both got out of the car and went into the busy building. We took the elevator up to the fifth floor, where the set was. I was completely not used to studios being in big buildings like this--Leavesden was spread out on a lot so big we had to use golf carts to get around.
"Good morning, Miss Holt." a man in a dark suit was waiting in front of the elevator as we stepped out. "I'm Dennis, I’m the set director. I'll help you get set up in the studios--this is just a temporary set for our interior city scenes, of course the rest will be done out of the city as you know.”
Dennis showed us around and then brought me to the temporary dressing room, which was actually more like a cubicle. Carmen helped me set up my things and we went over to hair and makeup. On the way, we passed an incredibly good-looking guy. We made eye contact and he smiled a smile that made me melt. "That's Drew, the director of photography!" Carmen whispered when he had passed.
I spent the next two and a half hours in hair and makeup, and when I came out my hair, which was usually three inches below my shoulder and deep auburn, was now just above my shoulder and light brown, curled back into a perfect 20's style wave. I went on to wardrobe, where I was dressed in a vintage yellow chiffon dress with flutter sleeves and a chiffon belt with a pave diamond buckle. Once I was on set, I felt completely in-character. I met Heather Burns, who was playing Daisy's closest friend, Jordan Baker; Edward Burns (no relation to Heather) who was playing Daisy's husband Tom Buchanan, and Alex O'Loughlin, who was playing Daisy's cousin Nick Carraway.
The first scene we did was that of the four of us in an apartment in New York on a sweltering hot day. We did it about four times over, and when we finally got the scene right, we moved to the next, still in the apartment. Drew the director of photography was always nearby ensuring that the cameras were at the right angles and getting good shots, and we kept making eye contact between scenes. I wasn't positive, but it didn't seem like normal eye contact--it was as though he was deliberately seeking my eyes out to get my attention.
At the end of the day I changed back into my black dress and pulled my hair back into a bun, leaving the bangs out. Carmen handed me my purse and we were heading for the elevator when we ran into Drew. "Erm, I’m going to go get the car, Kellie, I’ll meet you downstairs." she said, giving me a wink behind Drew's back and running off.
"Hi. I just wanted to introduce myself." Drew said, holding out his hand. He gave me a firm, strong handshake and looked at me with his piercing blue eyes. "I'm Drew Banter."
"Kellie Holt. It’s nice to meet you, Drew." I said, trying to employ my flirty eyes but feeling as though I looked like I had a twitch.
“So, uh, I look forward to working with you. See you later.” He said, flashing a gorgeous smile that made me melt a little.
When I got down to the lobby, Carmen was waiting just outside the doors with a huge smile. “So, how did it go?” she asked
“Damn, he’s hot,” was all I could manage with a laugh.
That evening I called my parents to tell them about my first day on the set. My mom answered—my dad was still at work—and immediately asked about Rupert.
“Kellie, are the tabloids telling the truth about you and Rupert?” she asked, sounded upset.
“Er, yeah. It’s true…he wants to take a break and see other people this month.”
“Did you tell him that’s a load of bull and he needs to get his act together if he wants to consider dating you?” she demanded
“Well, not exactly, but I sure thought that. I don’t know, I just needed to stop talking to him after that so I’m just going to wait until I get back next month. Anyway, how are things in Arizona?”
“Oh, good. But the important question is, are you okay?” My mom asked in a comforting tone.
“Yeah, mom, I’ll be okay. I’m slowly coming to terms with things and I don’t honestly think Rupert and I are going to get together.”
“Oh, honey, just know that dad and I are behind you one-hundred percent no matter what happens, and we love you. Plus, dad’s not afraid to fly to England with a steel bat with Rupert’s name on it if you need him to.” She said.
“Haha…okay, mom, I’ll keep that in mind. Anyway, I think I’m gonna go get some dinner and make some phone calls, I’ve got a million people asking me to call them.”
“Okay, honey, you have fun on this new movie! I love you!”
“I love you too, mom, and tell dad I said Hi and I love him.” I said, making a kiss-sound and hanging up.
I went into the kitchen and took some pasta and ingredients for sauce and started to make my dinner. Just as I poured the pasta in the pot of boiling water, my cell phone rang, the ring tone “Stronger” by Kanye West—that was the tone that rang when the caller wasn’t in my phonebook.
“Hello?” I answered, stirring the sauce with a wooden spoon.
“Hey, Kellie, it’s Andrew Sims from Mugglecast.” Andrew’s voice came over the line.
“Oh, hey Andrew! What’s going on?” I said, happy to hear someone friendly and not a random fan who had somehow found my number. I heard a sharp intake of breath from his line
“Oh, we’re recording a live Mugglecast right now. You don’t mind that I called, do you?”
“Not at all…is that why I just heard someone gasp?” I asked, laughing
“Yeah, that was Laura….Laura, say something!” Andrew said
“Er…hello! Is this seriously Kellie Holt?” A girl’s voice came on the line
“Yeah, sure is. How are you, Laura?”
“I’m…confused. Really? I’m going to need some proof. Sorry…but this has to be too good to be true.” Laura said, sounding skeptical.
“Oh, okay. Umm, what proof can I give?” I asked, draining my pasta and dumping it on a plate, then pouring the sauce on top.
“You can recite a line from Deathly Hallows in your Luna voice!” a boy with a British accent suggested
“Oh…is that Jamie? Hi Jamie! Well, we don’t have the scripts yet, unfortunately, not for a few more weeks. But I can say a line from my new movie, The Great Gatsby!”
“Eh, sure, that should be good enough.” Andrew said, sounding very amused.
“Okay,” I cleared my throat and put on my dramatic mid-Atlantic Daisy accent and said, “I’ve been lying on that sofa for as long as I remember.”
There was a chorus of laughter. “That’s seriously a line from the movie? That’s awesome!” Laura chimed in.
“Oh, more proof that nobody else will know for a few days at least, they’ve cut my hair at my shoulders and dyed it light brown for the part, so when I go back to doing Luna, they’re going to have to give me extensions! I’m a little sad, I miss my long hair.” I added in
We talked for a while, I told them all about the mounting excitement among the cast for the final movie—and yet we were also a bit upset, as it would be our last time working together. I had long since finished my dinner when I finally hung up. Before I went, I said, “Man, I’d love to meet the rest of you guys. If you’re ever around New York in the next month, let me know. And Jamie, you live in London! Andrew, give him my number later, and you had better call me when I get back in August!” I gave them and the fans listening my love, and then hung up. I was drained at this point, and it was nearly 11, so I collapsed into my bed and immediately fell asleep.
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“Welcome, Ms. Holt, Ms. Monterosa, if you’ll follow me I’ll show you to the helicopter.” Dennis was waiting by the elevator in the lobby the following week, ready to show us to the chopper that would transport us daily to the actual set in the Hamptons. I was glad I hadn’t worn a skirt, because the wind from the chopper’s rotating blades would have likely blown it upwards. Instead my black tights, grey tweed shorts, mousy brown silk cami, black cardigan and black knee-high flat boots stayed perfectly in place. My hair, however, was sent flying in all directions and I stuffed my purse in the crook of my arm and tried my best to hold it down as Carmen and I hurried into the helicopter. I took a moment to flatten my hair back down, and then slid on the protective earmuffs and my Dior shades, and strapped into the seat.
As the helicopter landed near a beach in the non-populated section of the Hamptons, I could see the rest of the cast and crew that had already arrived. Drew was shielding his eyes against the wind the helicopter was letting off, and he walked over to greet me. We had been flirtatiously friendly with each other all week, both knowing that we wanted each other but neither doing anything about it. It was beginning to become agonizing—couldn’t we just make out already?!
“Hey, soldier,” He said, coming over to put his arm around me. ‘Soldier’ had somehow sprung up as his pet name for me—I wasn’t quite sure where it came from, but it was cute and I liked it. He walked me over to my trailer. “So you decided not to take their offer of a house up here?” he asked, indicating the helicopter.
Columbia had offered anyone who wanted a house to stay at in the Hamptons while we filmed there, in order to cut costs on helicopters. However, I was one of the few who decided to stay in the city and be transported, because I hated the idea of my brand new apartment not even being used while I was there.
“So, rumor has it you’re quite the singer…” he began as we got to the steps of my trailer. I climbed up two steps and turned around.
“Yes…?” I asked coyly, wondering where he was going with that comment.
“Well, I was wondering if I might be able to get a private performance some time?” He said with a little wink, and then turned around and walked off.
“Hmm…I’ll get back to you on that.” I called after him, and I could see his shoulders shake as he laughed.
I went into my trailer, wondering what exactly he had meant…was that a sexual comment? Or what he suggesting he wanted to go on a date? Either way, I was game. I was looking for a rebound, and I think we both knew it wouldn’t be a lasting relationship—just a little shagging, a little dating, and at the end of the film we’d be done with it.
Carmen came into the trailer shortly after me with a folder and a day planner. “Hey! I thought I’d let you and Drew have your space, so I lagged behind and talked to some people. Anyways, I’ve got a few things for you. First of all, it was just announced this morning that you’ve got a few nominations for the British Teen Choice Awards. First off, you’re nominated for Choice Movie: Supporting Actress for Harry Potter, Half-Blood Prince is nominated for Choice Movie: Action Adventure and Choice Summer Movie: Action Adventure/Drama, and Life is Magic, the reality show you did with the Harry Potter cast, is nominated for Choice TV: Breakout Reality.”
“Oh, wow! I got nominated? That’s awesome! When are the awards?” I asked, thrilled to be nominated for my first award ever.
“They’re on October 15th and I have to RSVP for you ASAP”
“Great, I’m so there. Is anyone else nominated from the cast for personal awards?” I asked.
“Yeah, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson were nominated for Choice Movie: Male and Female Sidekicks, respectively, Daniel Radcliffe and Bonnie Wright have been nominated for Choice Movie: Liplock, and Daniel was nominated for Choice Movie: Action Adventure Actor and Choice Celebrity: Most Charitable.”
“Wow! We really swept in a lot of nominations! How exciting!” I said as I found my revised script for the day and began to run through my lines.
“Also, a radio station from Phoenix called and wanted to know if you’d be willing to call in for their morning show next week? It’s 104.7 Kiss FM and it’s their morning show, ‘John Jay and Rich’”
“Ooh, I’m so there. I love John Jay and Rich! What time do they want me to call?”
“They said between 6 and 8 would be best, which would make it between 9 and 11 our time. Tuesday or Thursday, preferably.”
“Okay, I’ll call at, say, 10:30 on Thursday, then.”
“Great. I’ll set it up and let you know the details. Well, that’s all for now!”
--------------------------
The rest of the week flew by quickly, as we were filming nonstop, all day. It was almost halfway through filming before I even knew it. On Thursday morning I was preparing to call the radio station when there was a knock on my trailer door. I opened it up and Drew was standing on the ground, looking up at me. “So,” he said, a sly smile on his face, “Have you put any thought into that private performance I asked for?”
I blinked, nearly forgetting what he was talking about. Then it registered, and I laughed. “Oh, definitely. I’m just about to call a radio station in Phoenix to be a guest on the show…so I’ll think about it and let you know later, I guess.”
“Or, you could just promise to have dinner with me tonight after we finish filming…” he suggested with a wink.
“Okay, sounds good.” I tried my best to keep a calm, measured voice, but I was a bit excited to actually do something with a guy. “See you in a bit.”
I shut the door and dialed the number, willing myself to calm down.
“1047 Kiss FM, is this Kellie Holt?” John Jay answered.
“Why, yes it is! How are you guys?” I asked, excited to be talking on my old favorite radio station.
“Kellie! How’s it going? It’s a little hot here in Phoenix, but we heard you’re in New York City filming a big film right now!”
“Yeah! It’s really great. We’re filming in the Hamptons right now, which is kind of crazy because in the summer it’s tourist-infested and there’s constantly people trying to get a peak at our sets.”
“Man! Well, just pull some nuncucks on them, or something. Maybe that’ll scare them away.” Rich joked.
“Ha, that would do the trick. I don’t think the producers would like it if I had to film in a jail cell, though…”
“Yeah, that might not work so well. So Kellie, one of the reasons we wanted you on today is so you can help us play Remember the Time. Did you ever listen in the mornings?”
“Yeah! I always heard Remember the Time on my way to school.”
“Awesome! Well, we’re going to get someone on the line and you get to help them win tickets to Rihanna. Are you game?”
“Definitely.”
“Okay…we’ve got Amber on the line. Amber, where did you go to high school and what year did you graduate?” John-Jay asked
An excited-sounding girl said breathlessly, “I went to Dobson High School and I graduated in 2007!”
“All right! And Kellie, where did you go to high school and what year did you graduate?”
“I went to North Canyon High School and I graduated…a month ago! 2008!”
“Wow! Okay. So here’s what goes down: we put together a bunch of clips from a mystery year all mashed up in an Obi Wan Kenobi style montage and you get to guess what year it’s from. If you win, Amber, you get tickets to Rihanna. If Kellie wins, she gets you Rihanna tickets. Ready?”
They played a string of clips from movie previews, songs, and TV show ads for us to guess on. I guessed 2001.
“Okay…Amber, you’re going to Rihanna because Kellie was right with 2001!”
Amber sounded ecstatic. She screamed, then cried, “Thank you so much! I love you! You’re the best!”
I stayed on the line talking to John-Jay and Rich for a while, and then when they put a song on to take a break, they had me record a clip in which I said, ‘Hey guys! This is Kellie Holt and you’re listening to my favorite radio morning show, John-Jay and Rich!’ and then I hung up to go back to the set.
I spent the rest of the day anticipating my dinner with Drew. I assumed that, since he had taken up the offer of a house in the Hamptons, we would be having dinner in town and I would simply fly back to the city late. I was glad I had brought a few spare outfits up to my trailer in case I might need to change, and I sifted through to pick out something nice to wear. I settled on a pretty ivory silk blouse with a single row of pretty ruffles on each side of the button-front and flutter sleeves, which I paired with the same tweed Chloe shorts I had worn on the first day in the Hamptons and a pair of sand-color peep-toe Louboutin slingbacks.
At 5pm, there was a knock on my trailer door and I opened it, expecting Drew. However, it was Carmen instead. “Hey! I’m so sorry, I know you’re about to go on your date with Drew but I just wanted to quickly say good luck, and have fun. I’m flying back to the city now so you don’t have to worry about finding me, or whatever. See you tomorrow!” she gave me a quick hug and, seeing Drew in the distance approaching, she hurried off towards the helicopter where Natasha Richardson—who played Daisy’s husband Tom’s mistress—was also waiting to go back to the city.
I quickly slicked on some lip balm and spritzed some perfume before I heard the knock on the door that I knew was Drew. I opened up, and he was standing outside looking hot in a casual white button-down and cargo shorts; I was glad I hadn’t overdressed.
Drew and I walked a ways from the set on the sideway that lined the back of the beach. When we had arrived in the part of the Hamptons that seemed undiscovered by tourists, he led me down towards the beach where a picnic basket was resting in the sand. At first thought, I laughed at the idea of a picnic on the beach, but then changed my mind. After all, nobody else had ever treated me to something so sweet, so why not be open-minded about it?
Drew set up the blanket and our food, and we began talking as we ate the pasta salad. I realized as we talked that I didn’t know much about Drew. I knew that he was 22 and that he had recently gotten out of a very long relationship (I found this out from the hair stylist—Drew had the common sense not to talk about past relationships with a girl he was interested in.) He told me about all the films he had worked on in the past two years that he had been working in the industry.
Drew scooted closer to me as we finished our dinner, and began kissing me softly. He kissed my cheeks and my neck, and all the way down to my décolletage, and then kissed me full on the lips. I leaned into his body and we kissed for a good fifteen minutes without much of a pause. Drew worked his body so that he was leaning over me, and let his hands wander along my midriff, working up underneath my blouse. I leaned back on one elbow, closed my eyes, and let him do his thing, occasionally reaching up to caress his head or kiss his neck.
Drew let up for a moment, unfixing his lips from my collarbone, and in a few swift movements, he had unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off, revealing a tight white wife beater tank top underneath. I took this chance to change positions and lean over him, straddling my legs over his lap and pulling off his tank top. I planted a few kisses on his toned body, then leaned back for a moment, unsure of what was supposed to happen next. I could tell Drew was ready, I could feel it on my thigh. So I tossed my hair back behind me and slowly unbuttoned my shorts.
“Wait a moment…” Drew said, carefully lifting me off of him and standing up. He took my hand and led me down, closer to the water. On the way, I watched as he used one hand to unbutton and unzip his shorts, and he let them fall into the sand. We stood for a moment, kissing and caressing, and then Drew kneeled down and pulled my shorts off, tossing them up to the sand with his own. I was left to only my blouse and my navy blue lace knickers, which Drew had now secured his thumb and forefinger around, standing up to join me at full height once again. He let go, pulled down his black boxers, and then returned to my knickers, sliding them down to my knees and letting them drop. We both dropped to the ground.
With a swift movement I tossed my knickers and his boxers up towards our pile of clothes, and then lay back, trying to look coy and sexy. Nick kneeled over top of me and planted a long, slow kiss on my lips, our tongues exploring each other for a moment. Then he lowered himself onto me.
It was the hottest sex I’d ever had, the evening tide washing in over us as we arched and pushed. We climaxed together as the white foam waves rushed around us. Sighing and moaning, Drew pulled out and collapsed in the sand next to me. We laid there for a moment, letting the waves wash over our bodies. My blouse was soaked through, so that my navy bra showed. My hair was soaked into wet curls. Drew leaned over me once more, kissed me tenderly, then climbed up and helped me after him. We quickly slipped on our clothes and gathered up the picnic things.
Drew led me back to the set, where nobody was around, and we hopped in his car and drove to the house he was staying at. It was right on the beach, and we leaned back on his deck chairs drinking champagne and watching the waves roll in. After ten minutes or so, Drew brought me back inside. “I’m not sure what type of alcohol you’re into, but I’ve got Schmirnoff Watermelon, Mike’s Hard Cranberry Lemonade, and Coors. Take your pick.” He said, displaying a bottle of Vodka and some tall glass bottles as he pulled them from the fridge. “I’ll have a Mike’s Hard. And, hey, why not a shot of Schmirnoff?” I added with a smile.
Drew poured two tall shots and we clinked our glasses and threw back together. I winced as the alcohol burned my throat and then passed. I popped open my Mike’s Hard and hopped up on the counter. Drew stood in between my legs as we drank. He unbuttoned the top few buttons of my still-damp blouse and began kissing my chest. When I finished my drink, I tossed it down, climbed off the counter, and let Drew lead me to his bedroom.
The following morning I woke up with sunlight beaming through the window of Drew’s bedroom. He was asleep next to me, and I sat up, completely naked, trying to figure out what time it was. When I located a clock, I saw that I had to be to the set in an hour, but it only took ten minutes to get there. I climbed back into the bed and leaned on Drew’s chest. He stirred and woke up.
“Good Morning, soldier.” He said, kissing me on the forehead. He pulled me close. We wrapped together in each others’ arms, and made love.
Later in the morning as we arrived on set, I couldn’t stop beaming. “So, how about your place tonight?” Drew suggested as we pulled into the parking lot. We agreed to go back to my apartment, and I looked forward to it all day.
------------------------------
Two weeks later, we were ready to wrap filming. Drew and I hadn’t done much besides go between our two places and shag. While I knew it was nothing near a lasting relationship, I was a bit reluctant to leave. Being with Drew had freed me from Rupert. It had been fun and exciting, and I had never felt sexier in my life. On the last day of filming, Drew came into my trailer and we did very little talking, and a whole lot of making out. I went down on Drew twice, and we laid on the couch, happy together despite what was coming.
“So, this is it for filming…” Drew began as we sat up.
“Yeah…and I’m leaving town in two days.” I added, wondering who was going to say it first.
“Well, at least we’ve got two days.” Drew said, sounding somewhat cheery.
“Yeah. Well, we both knew it wouldn’t last, right?” I asked, hoping he would agree, which he did. “So, let’s say in two months, when we have the premiere, if neither of us has anyone, we can hook up for the few days we’re in the same city again.” I suggested.
“Exactly. Good suggestion. But we still have the next two days…” He said with a smile, and I planted a big kiss and laughed.
----------------------------
I knew that while I was gone, Rupert had been seeing other people. Since our breakup, tabloids were paying much more attention to the two of us, wondering who would be the first to stray into another relationship. He had been spotted holding hands and kissing with two different girls within a week of each other. Of course, I had been shagging Drew, but it still hurt my heart to see him so openly having relationships—especially with multiple girls. Multiple girls who looked like total whores, I might add.
When my plane arrived back in London, there were ten paparazzi waiting outside the airport. I expected they were there to see if I was returning with a guy on my arm or something, but nobody had caught sight of me and Drew as we spent most of our time together in our bedrooms. It was nice to get back home, and Carmen was with me to help unpack. I had enjoyed having her as my assistant so much that I offered to help her move to London if she would work for me. After a day or two of contemplation, Carmen happily agreed.
“So, we’ll go look at apartments starting tomorrow, and for now you can stay I here.” I said, showing her to Nicole’s bedroom. The girls would be arriving in five days, so we were hoping to find a place for Carmen right away. As Carmen got settled in, I went to my room to unpack my clothes. Then I unpacked all of my other things—house items and such—and hopped on the couch to think about what to make for dinner.
Carmen and I went to dinner at Nobu, then rented a movie and fell asleep on the couch watching it. The following morning I woke up to the alarm on my cell phone. I had set it the night before in case I fell asleep on the couch, which of course I did. I woke Carmen, and then quickly got ready for the day. It was an abnormally cold day for August--though cold weather is never too abnormal in London--and so instead of wearing the summer dress I had planned, I dressed in a silk satin royal blue dress with subtle floral embellishment, tights, boots, and a grey pea coat. An hour later we set out in my car to meet the realtor. "Okay, I have your agenda for the day. First, of course, we're apartment shopping. Then you're meeting with Molly and your new music production agent to prepare for the concert. You'll have a break for lunch, during which you're meeting Rupert, and then back to the prep. Anything else you need me to add?" Carmen said, rattling the list off quickly.
"Er..sorry, did you say lunch with Rupert? That....since when?" I asked, trying to remember if I had made plans with him long ago, before we had split. But then, how would she have known?
"Oh, yes, I must have forgotten to tell you. Rupert called yesterday to set up a little lunch meeting with you. I'm sorry; do you want me to cancel?"
"No, no, that's okay. I had might as well meet him. Anyway, I'd really like to go car shopping. Do you think we can fit that in today?" I asked. I was only half paying attention now, and half listening to thoughts buzzing about in my head, wondering what the 'meeting' would produce. Were Rupert and I still together, or not?
"Oh, yeah, we can fit it in for sure."
We arrived at the realtor's office and went in to give Carmen's information and price range. Then we set off, turning up our collars against the freezing wind. "You'd think it was February!" Carmen shrieked as we hurried to our cars. I realized this was her first full day in London--and it was unbearably cold.
It only took three hours for Carmen to find the perfect apartment, and as we drove to the meeting at January Records, she had a huge smile on her face. "I just found the best place ever! Thank you so much!" She chimed as we pulled up to the valet.
"Good morning, Molly! How are the wedding plans going?" I asked, giving her a big hug. I hadn't seen Molly since the week I left for New York.
"Oh, hellish as expected. And I'm glad to see you liked Carmen!" She said, shaking Carmen's hand. "I thought you would when I interviewed her."
I sat at the head of the long meeting table, with Carmen and Molly on either side. After a moment two men in important-looking suits came in through the opposite door. I stood to shake their hands.
"Kellie, this is Marc Connelly, head producer of January Records, and this is Jaden Lesner, your new music production agent." Molly said as I shook each of their hands. I took an immediate liking to Jaden. He seemed very kind and laid-back, but also like the type of agent that was ready to get out there and make things happen.
We talked for about a half hour, making all of the final plans for the show. When we split for lunch, Molly walked down to the lobby with me and Carmen to chat. When we go to the door I got ready to put on my coat and said, "Okay, guys, is this a good outfit for meeting with your kinda-ex-boyfriend who might want to get back together?" I asked. Molly and Carmen looked me up and down.
"That dress is way hot, so keep that for sure." Molly advised.
"Yeah, I agree. Just...maybe lose the tights and boots. You'll be eating inside, I imagine, so you'll be taking your coat off anyway. Then you'll look completely sexy. He'll be blown away." Carmen added with a smile.
I gave Molly a quick hug and then Carmen and I hurried off to the Saks down the road to buy a pair of shoes before lunch. I chose a pair of silver point-toe pumps, but decided to keep my boots until right before I got to the restaurant. We pulled up in front of the Plaza hotel, and I bunched up my tights, shoved them in my boots, and slipped my heels on. Then I grabbed my purse and got out. "Good luck!" Carmen said, heading to the bar to wait.
Rupert was sitting at a table in the back of the restaurant, ordering his drink, when I walked up. He stood up and gave me a light peck on the cheek, and then took my coat and bag and put them on the chair next to him. I sat down and ordered a gin and tonic, and the waitress hurried off to fill our orders.
"So, how was New York?" Rupert asked, handing me a menu. I browsed the menu and decided on a pasta dish.
"It was really nice. I didn't get to see the city much, I was so busy. But the movie was great."
We were quiet for a moment, and the waitress returned with our drinks and took our lunch orders. Then, as I sipped my drink, Rupert cleared his throat and began to speak.
"I think you deserve to know why I wanted to take a break..."
"I agree." I said, my voice revealing my mixed emotions--part of me was hurt, part hopeful that we would get back together. But somehow I knew it wasn't likely.
"We've been dating for almost a year..." He began.
"But we were broken up during our anniversary." I muttered.
"Right. But...I just felt like it was time to try other things. I want to make sure this is the right relationship for me." He continued.
"Rupert...the right relationship? We were going to get married! We had all these plans...are you telling me you made those plans with me and you weren't even sure if you were going to fulfill them?" I asked, setting my glass down on the table with a thud.
"I just wanted you to be happy. I figured I would feel the same way eventually, so I just agreed." Rupert said in a low voice.
"You're telling me--" I began in a loud voice, and then looked around and noticed that a lot of people seemed to be eavesdropping, so I leaned in and spoke quietly. "You're telling me you don't want to get married? You...you lied about it? For what--to get me in bed? Well, you succeeded. I'm so proud of you."
"No, Kellie, no!" my hand was resting next to my glass, and he took it in his own. "I would never use you like that. I did love you, and I did expect to marry you someday. But things change, you know? But listen, I tried dating for the past month..."
"Yes, I saw the tabloids." I added.
"Right...but it just wasn't the same. I'd like to get back together. I still love you, and I will marry you some day. I promise." Rupert said.
I pulled my hand out from under his. "You say you'll marry me...but it sounds like such a chore to you. I don't want you to have to do anything that you don't want to do." I stopped to think for a moment, to make sure I was really going to say this. "So I think we should break up. For good this time. I'm sorry...but you need to find a woman that you can't wait to marry, that you're madly in love with. We were in love...but it just wasn't the love you should feel for your future spouse."
Rupert lowered his head for a moment. "I was afraid you'd say that. But I guess...I agree. I really do like you, Kellie. I want to be close to you, because you're a wonderful person. Can we at least try to be friends still?"
"Well, we'll be around each other so often for the next year anyway, I think that's our only option. But even if we weren't going to, I'd still want to be your friend, Rupert."
We sat together and ate lunch and chatted for a while. When it was time to leave, Rupert helped me put my coat on, handed me my purse, and as we left, he gave me a huge, warm hug. "I'm going to miss the relationship we had together, but I'm glad we're doing this instead." Rupert added, and then gave me a kiss on the cheek and left. Carmen and I walked to my car and headed back to the meeting.
I spent the rest of the early afternoon at Hyde Park, where the festival was going to be held. There were other bands and producers and the like walking around, checking out the area. Jaden had done auditions for backup singers and had narrowed it down to 15. We had each girl sing and I eventually chose the three that would sing with me at the concert.
After the meeting, Carmen and I went to some car dealerships. By the end of the day I had narrowed my choices down to a deep yellow MINI Cooper S with black racing stripes, and a deep blue BMW 7 Series Sedan. I decided to sleep on it and choose the next day. The next morning I decided to get the BMW. Carmen and I went to the dealer and went through the long process of trading in my car and getting the great new one.
The next day I was buzzing about my house cleaning and getting ready. In about two hours, I would be going to the airport with Tom to pick up Nicole, Karigan, Savannah, and Jenny. Jenny was staying for a few days for the music festival and then returning home to start college in Texas. Carmen had moved out the previous night into her apartment, so all I had to do was make sure the house looked as nice as possible.
Soon, the doorbell rang. I opened it up to find Tom standing on the other side, holding a video camera. "Hey, Tom! You...have a video camera." I said with a laugh, giving him a hug.
"I'm just so excited to see Savannah, I thought I'd make a video!" He answered, smiling. I gave Tom and his video camera a quick tour of the house, and then we had lunch and got ready to leave. “Whoa…sweet car! When did you get this?” Tom asked when we went out to the garage to leave.
“I just got it yesterday. Traded in my ‘stang. I haven’t named it yet…any ideas?” I added, laughing. Tom admired it for a minute, then went to his car—we were driving separately, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to fit everyone in my car. I followed Tom to the airport and parked in the garage. We headed over to the international terminal and stopped to buy flowers for each girl at a shop. Then we waited just outside the security gate. I pulled out my iPhone and checked the flight, and found that it was on time.
“I see them!” Tom said, powering on his video camera and recording. I stood on my tip-toes and could just see Savannah and Karigan’s heads behind everybody else. Just behind them were Nicole and Jenny. When they got to the gate, they ran through and showered us with hugs. Tom and I gave them each their flowers and Tom gave Savannah a big kiss. Then we headed to baggage claim, got their luggage, and hopped into our cars to go home.
“Oh…my…gosh! Kellie, this is the car I’ve always wanted! When did you get it?” Jenny gushed as she climbed in. Jenny, Nicole, and Karigan all decided to ride with me so Savannah and Tom could catch up a bit. We stopped by Krave café to get takeout lunch and headed back to my house.
I gave the girls a grand tour of the house, which was met with a lot of “oohs”, “Aahs” and giggles. Then we settled down in the family room eating lunch and watching TV. Tom left around 7, and we all decided to dress up and go out. We spent a couple hours at a club dancing, and then took a cab home and crowded on my bed, as we hadn’t had time to set up the girls’ rooms yet.
The next morning I had to pick my parents and Megan up from Heathrow. They were staying in town for a few days to see my show. I took them out to lunch and we caught up on things—Megan was dating a nice guy from her church and my mom was considering becoming a traveling nurse. Then I dropped them off at their hotel, which was right by my house.
Two days later I woke up bright and early. As I got ready for the day, a nervous feeling rose in my stomach. Today was the day of the concert, and I was beginning to worry about such things as messing up, getting stage fright, and everyone hating my music. However, I pushed these thoughts to the back of my mind as I dressed in my navy blue cotton peasant blouse with threaded silver stripes, dark skinny jeans, and brown leather belt with a blue enamel elephant buckle covered in red paisley. I went downstairs to eat breakfast and found that the girls were ready as well.
“Hey Kellie! Are you excited for today?” Karigan asked as I poured a cappuccino.
“Oh my gosh, you have no idea…I’m nervous, though. I’m afraid I’m going to mess up!” I said, sitting at the table with them.
The girls all looked cute and ready for a musical festival, catching the perfect look—laid back but very stylish. Karigan was wearing a navy blue plaid tank with criss-cross straps, denim shorts, and navy patent flats. Jenny had a deep purple cotton bubble-hem top with floral embroidery at the neckline and grey tweed shorts with cream suede slingback flats. Savannah wore a raspberry cotton empire-waist top with a deep red sash and vintage wash jeans and silver strappy sandals. Nicole had a cream cotton skirt with sari-style black beading and embroidery with a black tank top and black suede flip-flops.
“Ooh! Nicole, I have a necklace that would go perfectly with your outfit. You guys, come up to my room!” We all headed upstairs clutching our coffee mugs and gathered around my dresser to look through my jewelry. I had Nicole try on a layered Chanel necklace with different colored stones and the occasional silver Chanel logo.
“Oh my gosh, I love this!” she gushed, examining it.
“Well, you can wear it today if you want. Do you guys want to borrow anything else?” I added to Jenny, Karigan, and Savannah.
The girls continued to look through my jewelry. Savannah picked out a pair of gold hammered circle chandelier earrings. Karigan chose a pair of silver Van Cleef & Arpels hoops with pave diamond shapes inside the hoops. Jenny also picked earrings, going with David Yurman drop earrings with a pave diamond and a black onyx drop hanging from each diamond. Before we shut my jewelry boxes, I pulled out a David Yurman silver twisted band ring with an amethyst stone surrounded by Pave diamonds. When I had started filming Order of the Phoenix, I had vowed to get myself a treat for each movie I made, and I finally decided to get a ring for each movie, as I never usually bought rings.
“Jenny, you should wear this ring! It’ll look so pretty with the dark purple top.” I said, sliding it on her middle finger.
“Oh, my gosh, that’s beautiful! You mean, you don’t mind?” She said, admiring the ring in the light.
“Not at all! You know, this was the first ring I ever bought. I buy myself a new ring for each movie that I do now, and this was my Order of the Phoenix one.” I then pulled out my ring jewelry box to show them my other rings. I had bought a blue topaz ring surrounded by diamonds with pave diamonds on the band for Half-Blood Prince, and
After giving the girls all the jewelry they could wear, we went to finish getting ready. I fixed my hair to be very wavy with a side part and dramatic bangs. I grabbed my Michael Kors aviator sunglasses and my brown leather Coach purse and we hopped into my car and headed to Hyde Park. The parking all around was super crowded, but Jaden had informed me of a private parking lot for performers and their friends and family. I parked there and immediately found my parents and Megan just across the parking lot. I grabbed my garment bags and the Miss Selfridge carrier bag with my accessories out of my trunk and we headed over to the park. I met Jaden, Molly, and Carmen backstage, while the girls and my family stayed out in the main part of the park, finding a good place to set up and wait for the concert.
I headed into my dressing room to get ready for the concert, my nerves once again flaring up. There was a knock on my door and Jaden came in.
"Hey, Kellie, are you about ready? The guys from Yellowcard are here and they're about to go onstage." He asked.
I went out with Jaden to see the guys. We all shared a group hug and then they went out on stage. I ran back to my dressing room to take one more look at my appearance. I was wearing dark wash skinny jeans, a black silk blouse with floral laser cutout at the bust and the lower hem and a tie-waist sash, and dark silver metallic peep-toe pumps with a tiny bow on the toes. Then I went to the side of the stage and waited for my turn to go out. I peered out through a hole in the stage and I could see the huge crowd cheering, dancing, and singing along to Yellowcard. Right up front I could see Jenny, Nicole, Karigan, Savannah, Megan, and Maggie--they had arrived early with me and taken front-row spots. Along more to the side i saw my parents--they weren't into the mosh-pit type concert crowd. Just behind the girls was just about the entire Harry Potter cast--Dan, Emma, Katie, Bonnie, Rupert, Tom, Matt, and Devon.
As the tune from Ocean Avenue ended, Ryan switched guitars and got up on the mic. "All right, you guys, we've got another new song from our album, this one featuring a lovely singer by the name of Kellie Holt! It's called View from Heaven and you can hear it on our album that drops on August 13th."
The tune started up and I took a sharp intake of breath. Immediately Carmen and Molly were by my side. "You're gonna be great!" Molly said, giving me a hug. Carmen handed me a microphone and began hooking the mini cordless receiver up to my pants pocket. I had just calmed myself down when Ryan reached up and nonchalantly patted the back of his head, my cue to come on stage.
As I came out singing my part, the crowd cheered even louder. I couldn't believe the incredible reception I was getting from everybody, and I couldn't help but smile.
It felt amazing to finally be on stage singing our song. I had so much fun singing that I was bummed when the song was finally over. The crowd cheered more than ever, and I hugged Ryan Key and Ryan Mendez, the two people closest to me. Soon LP and Sean had jumped in, and we all laughed, and then did a funny little bow to the crowd. I waved and blew a kiss to the crowd and then ran backstage.
The adrenaline was still pumping as I got ready for my solo performance. I slipped into a different pair of dark skinny jeans--I was definitely getting my share of rockstar tight jeans that day--and the beautiful top I had picked out. Just the right mix of rocker and fashionista, the blush scoop-neck tunic top had cute puffy cap sleeves and pretty gold Arabian-style embroidery. I had put a lot of thought into this outfit, realizing that holding the microphone meant people were going to see a lot of my hands and arms, so I had picked some standout bangles. From Kenneth Jay Lane I picked two bangles--one gold and one white--covered in little pyramids, which I slid onto my left wrist. On my right wrist I clasped on a Citrine by the Stones gold rectangular link cuff. I draped a long, thin gold necklace with sporadic smoky quartz beads around my neck twice, and then pulled my hair into a playful and manageable ponytail, my bangs out and my curls still voluminous.
"All right, Kellie, it's time!" Jaden called through the door. I slid on my pretty pink satin and gold glitter flats, reapplied my lip gloss, and went out to the side of the stage.
Just as I was starting to get nervous, Ryan began to introduce me. "This girl is an incredible singer, a great actress, and an all together lovely girl. You saw her once already today, but now she's going to do a few songs of her own. Ladies and gentlemen, the amazing Miss Kellie Holt!"
The crowd cheered, and I ran out on the stage. I hugged Ryan again, and he went offstage. My band and backup singers were all ready to go. I grabbed my mic and said a few quick words.
"Hey guys! I just want to thank you all so much for coming here today! As you know, this is my first performance ever, so I hope you enjoy it! This first song is a little song I wrote a few months back and it's called 'Our Song'. Enjoy!"
The drummer counted in and the band started up the music. I had written the song with a bit of a country influence, so there was a violin and an acoustic guitar in the mix. I did my best to keep an upbeat, happy smile on my face and encourage the crowd to clap along, and then began singing.
I was riding shotgun with my hair undone in the front seat of his car
He's got a one-hand feel on the steering wheel
The other on my heart
I look around, turn the radio down
He says baby is something wrong?
I say nothing I was just thinking how we don't have a song
And he says...
[Chorus:]
Our song is the slamming screen doors,
Sneakin' out late, tapping on your window
When we're on the phone and you talk real slow
'cause it's late and your mama don't know
Our song is the way you laugh
The first date "man, I didn't kiss her, and I should have"
And when I got home ... before I said amen
Asking God if he could play it again
I was walking up the front porch steps after everything that day
Had gone all wrong and been trampled on
And lost and thrown away
Got to the hallway, well on my way to my lovin' bed
I almost didn't notice all the roses
And the note that said...
[Chorus]
I've heard every album, listened to the radio
Waited for something to come along
That was as good as our song...
Cause
[Chorus]
I was riding shotgun with my hair undone
In the front seat of his car
I grabbed a pen and an old napkin
And I wrote down our song
When I finished the song, I looked to the crowd and smiled. Everyone was cheering wildly, and It was the best possible response I could hope for.
"Thank you so much! This next song is called Start All Over and it’s about the feeling you get when you first start to like somebody—you know, when you just fall head over heels and forget everything else in the world!" The drummer started up alone, and then the electric guitar joined in for the rock-and-roll song.
I have to wonder if this wave's too big to ride
Commit or not commit in such a crazy tide
It's sooner than I thought but you called me out
I've lost control and there's no doubt
I'm gonna start all over
Out of the fire and into the fire again
You make me want to forget
And start all over
Here it comes straight out of my mind or worse
Another chance to get burned
And start all over
I'm gonna start all over
Fantastic and romantic all a big surprise
You've got the warning hesitation pushed aside
It's sooner than I want but you caught my heart
I guess I'm ready now to start
I'm gonna start all over
[CHORUS]
[x3]
It's so easy
You disrupt me
Can't complain
It's so easy
I'm gonna start all over
[CHORUS x2]
The next song was a slow ballad-type song about losing love called “These Four Walls”. It was soothing, with only an acoustic guitar and a piano.
These four walls
They whisper to me
They know a secret
I knew they would not keep
It didn't take long
For the room to fill with dust
And these four walls came down around us
It must have been something to send me out of my head
With the words so radical and not what I meant
Now I wait
For a break in the silence 'cause it's all that you left
Just me and these four walls again
It's hard now to let you be
I won't make excuses
I've made my peace
It didn't take long
For me to lose the trust
'Cause these four walls
Were not strong enough
It must have been something to send me out of my head
With the words so radical and not what I meant
Now I wait
For a break in the silence 'cause it's all that you left
Just me and these four walls again
Yeah
It's difficult
Watching us fade
Knowing it's all my fault
My mistake
Yeah, and it's difficult
Letting you down
Knowing it's all my fault
You're not around
It must have been something to send me out of my head
With the words so radical and not what I meant
Now I wait
For a break in the silence 'cause it's all that you left
Just me and these four walls again
Again
Oh
These four walls again
"All right you guys, this is my last song and it’s one of my favorite.It’s dedicated to all of you ladies out there, so get up and have some fun! This is called GNO!"
Don't call me
Leave me alone
Not gonna answer my phone
Cause I don't
No I won't see you
I'm out to have a good time
To get you off of my mind
Cause I don't
And I won't need you
Send out a 911
We're gonna have some fun
Hey boy, you know
You better run
Cause it's a girl's night
It's alright without you
I'm gonna stay out
And play out without you
You better hold tight
This girl's night is without you
Let's go
G.N.O.
Let's go
G.N.O.
Let’s go
G.N.O.
Let’s go
It's a girl's night
I'll dance with somebody new
Won't have to think about you
And who knows
What let go will lead to
You'll hear from everyone
You'll get the 411
Hey boy
You knew this day would come
[CHORUS]
Hey boy
Don't you wish you could have been a good boy
Try to find another girl like me, boy
Feel me when I tell ya
I am fine
And it's time for me to draw the line
I said hey boy
Don't you wish you could have been a good boy
Try to find another girl like me, boy
Feel me when I tell ya
I am fine
and it's time for me to draw the line
[CHORUS]
When I finished, I bowed and blew kisses, and then quickly left the stage. I didn't bother changing into the clothes I had come in--I loved this outfit too much to take it off just yet--so I packed all my things back into the garment bags and the carrier bag and Carmen brought them out to my car, while I ran offstage to meet everybody. I signed some autographs for people waiting by the stage door, and finally found all of my friends in one huge group. They all welcomed me in and I went around hugging everyone and hearing words of congratulations.
"I can’t believe you just had your very own concert! That was so awesome!” Savannah said, hugging me. I found my parents and they looked so proud that I wanted to cry. I hugged them for a long time, and then they gave me my camera. "Have fun today! What time should we be to your house for dinner?" my mom asked. They were going to do some sight-seeing for the day, and I was having a huge dinner with everyone that had come later that evening--of course, I was having it catered!
"I'll pick you up! That way you don't have to bother with buses or cabs. I'll come get you around 5 so I can show you around my house before it's time for everyone else to arrive." I gave my parents and Megan a hug and a kiss and they went off to do their touring. Then I returned to my friends to decide which concerts were worth seeing.
"Excuse me, Kellie?" somebody tapped me on the back as we walked to the Polysics concert. I turned around expecting to find a fan that I didn't know, but instead saw Jamie Lawrence of Mugglecast!
"Jamie! Hi! Wow, I had no idea you were going to be here today! It's so good to finally meet you!" I said, giving him a hug.
"Wow, I didn't expect you'd recognize me!" he said.
“Oh, of course! Hey, are you with anybody? You should hang out with us! Just about half the cast is here, I wouldn’t mind introducing you…” I could tell Jamie was tempted by the offer.
“Well….I’ve got my younger sister with me, but I’m sure she’d enjoy it to…sure, let me go get her.” He said, indicating cute red-headed girl behind him.
“Okay! Hey, we’re going to the Polysics concert, just over there. I’ll meet you there, ‘kay?”
Jamie went off to get his sister and I caught up with the group. “That was one of the co hosts of Mugglecast, that podcast I called in to.” I explained to everybody, “He’s going to go get his sister and they’re joining us.”
We all spent the rest of the afternoon going around to different concerts. When we were finished, we all split off—everyone was going home to get ready before dinner at my house after being out in the hot sun all day. I invited Jamie and his sister to the dinner as well, and they said they’d try to make it. Then the girls and I hopped in my car and headed back to our house.
As soon as we got home, I got to work, setting up the tables with the help of the girls. We set the tables up outside under the trees with fairy lights strung through the trees. I covered each table with a white cloth and set out a new set of lovely periwinkle blue fleur-de-lis design plates with matching cups.
“Wow, I’m really enjoying setting up this dinner party…we should do this more often!” I said, giggling, as we all finished up. I checked my watch and saw that I had about a half hour before I had to pick my parents up. I hurried upstairs to get ready, dressing in a flirty colorful Malandrino mini-skirt, a blank cami, and Kelly green Louboutin peep-toes with a low heel. I put my hair up into a loose messy bun and reapplied my makeup, then headed back downstairs.
“Hey, I’m going to go pick my parents up, be back in a little bit!” I called out to nobody in particular—they were all outside dangling their legs in the pool.
I pulled up in front of the Ritz London hotel and my family was waiting under the awning. Megan had changed into a soft black jersey tank dress and my mom was wearing a gorgeous Missoni blouse I had given her for her last birthday, a dark metallic print silk top with gold wrapping at the empire waist and balloon sleeves, which she had stylishly paired with dark jeans and heels. My dad had put on a nice dress shirt and dark slacks. They hopped into my car and we rode back to my place.
“Oh my gosh, Kellie, this house is beautiful!” My mom gushed as I punched in my gate code and pulled up into the drive. As they got out of the car, I hit some buttons on my automatic keypad which turned on the lights so that they could fully see the house. Then I propped open my gate so that the guests could get through easily, and we went inside.
After giving my parents the tour of my home, I set back downstairs to get everything ready. The catering company had arrived and they were setting up the food in the kitchen. I went outside and found that the girls had changed into their party outfits, which were casual and summery. Karigan was wearing a pretty blue jersey bandeau halter with a subtle bubble skirt. Jenny had a pretty pale blue eyelet v-neck dress with full sleeves. Nicole had a sage green jersey wrap dress with fluttery cap sleeves. Savannah was wearing a pink and white polka-dot dress with dark blue tie straps.
My family joined us outside and we listened to music and talked for a bit, waiting for the guests to begin arriving. Carmen was the first to show up, wearing a pretty cream satin dress with pink and black stripes, with two strangers in tow. After I introduced her to everybody, she pulled me aside with the two people she had brought along.
“Hey, Kellie, I hope you don’t mind, but I thought it would be nice if we had a magazine cover the party. It’s nothing extravagant, I chose a great event reporter from Elle to do it. This is Janet, the reporter, and Allison, the photographer.”
I shook both of their hands and allowed them to do their work. Once they had gone off the perch in the corner waiting for the celebrity guests to show up, I said to Carmen, “Hey, that was a great idea, but can you let me know in advance next time? I just wasn’t expecting this.” She agreed to tell me beforehand if it ever came up again.
Molly showed up soon after in a black silk chiffon dress with buttons down the bodice and her fiancé, Mike. I had never met Mike before, so I spent a while getting to know him. He seemed like the perfect guy for Molly, so adoring and strong. Once Bonnie and James—Bonnie in a crisp white shirt dress and James in a crisp white dress shirt—had arrived, we all began to get comfortable. The caterers set up the open bar and began serving appetizers.
Katie and Dan showed up, Katie wearing a gorgeous purple empire waist dress with beading at the waist. When she saw that there was a photographer, she quickly slipped off her huge engagement ring—they were keeping the engagement a secret completely until after the wedding. In a totally surprising turn of events, Amelia and William popped in to see me! I had told Amelia all about the dinner and extended an invitation, but I highly doubted she would make it because she had been so busy lately.
Amelia ran over and gave me a huge hug. She was wearing a gorgeously angelic silk crepe blouse with a thin matching belt and a white pencil skirt. William gave me a hug and they gave me a bouquet of flowers and congratulated me. “I heard they recorded the show, so make sure you let me know as soon as I can get my hands on that video!” Amelia said. I brought Amelia and William over to introduce them to my family and the friends they had never met.
The caterers began setting the food out at the tables, so we gathered up our drinks and waited until we could sit down. The back door opened once again and Emma popped out, followed by Tom and Matt. Emma looked adorable in a black strapless cotton eyelet dress and she was glowing with a big smile. After I welcomed them all and talked for a bit, Tom went off to join the rest of the group and I left Matt and Emma alone together. Emma hadn’t done much about Matt since we’d returned from the press tour, but she was planning on doing it when we started filming.
We all sat down but didn’t eat right away. The food dishes were all on warming plates so we didn’t have to worry about it getting cold, so everyone spent a little while chatting. Suddenly Maggie and Mark, who was bouncing Dean on his hip, as well as Jamie, and his sister Lily all rounded the corner into the lawn where we were sitting. I jumped up and went over to greet them all.
“Hey guys! Jamie, Lily, I’m so glad you could make it!” I said, giving them both hugs. I showed them where to sit, having left two seats by me so they were near someone they knew. Lily, slight and pretty, was wearing a pastel rainbow plaid crinkle gauze dress and her reddish-brown hair was pulled into a loose ponytail. I returned to Maggie and Mark.
“Thank you guys so much for coming!” I said, hugging them both and allowing Mark to hand Dean over to me. I rocked him and then Maggie took him back and we all sat down. “Maggie, hon, you look so gorgeous!” I whispered. She had lost all of the pregnancy weight in less than two months and was now sporting a tall, thin body. She was wearing a deep purple chiffon blouse with butterfly sleeves and a deep sequined v-neck with long dark jeans and heels.
When we were all ready to eat, I stood up and said a few words to thank everyone for coming, and then we tucked in to our food. After dinner we had dessert and then everybody hung around for a while to drink and enjoy each others’ company. By midnight everybody had gone except for my parents and Megan. I had had a few drinks so I regrettably had to call a cab for them, and I apologized profusely. We had plans to meet the next morning for brunch, and then they would be heading home for Phoenix.
----------------------------------
A week later I woke up at 9am to get ready for my first day of university. The night before we had dropped Jenny off at the airport, sharing hugs and crying a lot. She was flying straight to Texas to move into her dorm at UT Austin.
When I went downstairs for breakfast, Savannah and Karigan were eating pop-tarts. I joined them and we shared our first-day jitters and our schedules. I was surprised to find that I had French with Savannah and Pre-Calculus with Karigan. Nicole came down to get her breakfast and showed me her schedule—she was taking a digital photography class for fun, and we had it together.
I went upstairs to get dressed. Having heard that freshmen could always be picked out because they dressed up for the first day of school, I chose a casual navy blue cami with a sheer chiffon overlay and twisted straps. I paired it with a comfy pair of light wash jeans and a sand-colored cable knit sweater from AE in case the classes were cold. I let my hair dry curly, then pulled it into a ponytail with my bangs swept to the side.
“Ready?” Nicole called from the bottom of the staircase when it was just about time to go.
“Almost!” I cried, layering on the Chanel necklace I had loaned to Nicole for the concert. I slid on a pair of silver strappy flat sandals, grabbed my brown Coach bag, and headed downstairs. We all hopped into my car—I was the transportation until the girls could buy their own cars—and headed to the university.
Excitement set in as I waited outside my world religion class. People kept glancing my way and whispering, and I was hoping it wouldn’t be awkward like that all the time. There was a girl sitting up against the wall alone, so I went over and sat down and introduced myself.
“Hey, you’re Kellie Holt!” she cried excitedly, and the few people who hadn’t already been staring now turned to look. I tried my best not to blush, and managed a slight smile.
“Yep. What’s your name?” I asked, trying to defer the subject. She introduced herself as Laura and we talked about our classes and majors until the professor came. Glad to have already met somebody I liked, Laura and I sat together and whenever the professor took a break from lecturing we would talk.
A week later I stood over my bed packing for my trip to LA for the Gatsby premiere. I hadn’t spoken to Drew since the end of filming for the movie, and after a long time of thinking about our relationship, if it could even be called that, I decided that it would be best for both of us if we didn’t get together. Because of this, I strictly forbade myself from packing any date clothes—if I didn’t have the proper outfit for a date, I wouldn’t be tempted to go out with Drew!
I grabbed my suitcase off the bed and adjusted the sleeves of my slate grey jersey double V-neck dress. I slipped my feet into a pair of patent black leather Mary Jane pumps with double straps and clasped a long gold chain necklace with a big round Malachite circle pendant around my neck.
“Hey, have fun at the premiere!” Karigan said, giving me a hug before I left for the airport. I spent the long flight to LA with Carmen reading my Half-Blood Prince script and sleeping on and off.
When I got to LAX, there were paparazzi waiting outside the doors of baggage claim. Carmen had been resourceful and called a police escort ahead of time, so they did their job to hold back the paparazzi and let us through to the car waiting. We got a suite at the Chateau Marmont and settled in before getting ready to go out for the evening. I changed into a lemon and black print silk chiffon halter dress with a tie at the back of the neck and a sheer lace panel at the hem by Alexander McQueen. I put on a pair of gold hoops with black Onyx drops and I did my hair up in curls which I pinned up loosely to show off the bold earrings. Then I slipped into some black strappy heels. Carmen came out of her room in a gorgeous periwinkle Herve Leger bandage dress and gold pumps.
We went to Opera, one of the hot clubs in LA. I called Cameron on the way and she promised to try to meet us there later on. Carmen and I immediately found a great table and I ordered a caramel apple martini and we were chatting about the premiere when a man came over to our table and stood in front of us. I looked up and immediately realized that it was Drew standing at our table.
I was a bit bummed to see him, but Carmen quickly excused herself and Drew sat down to talk. We chatted for a few minutes, and then he asked me to dance. I set down my drink and followed him to the floor. “You look really gorgeous. I’ve missed seeing you every morning.” Drew said smoothly. My knees weakened when he touched my arm and then put his hand on my waist.
We went back to the table and Carmen joined us. Cameron showed up a little while later, and after a few more drinks we all decided it was time to head out. I hugged Cameron goodbye—she would be at the Gatsby premiere the following evening. Then Carmen went to get a cab and I stayed behind to talk to Drew.
“Do you want to go get some food?” he asked, indicating the little diner across the street. I was prepared to say no, but he said, “Just to talk and stuff.”
I decided that it couldn’t be that bad of an idea, so I told Carmen to just go ahead and go back to the hotel, and I’d meet her later. Drew and I went to the diner and ordered some French toast and milkshakes.
“So, how did things go with….Rupert?” he asked after a few minutes of eating in silence
“It went…well. He wanted to get back together, but we decided it wasn’t right. We’re friends now.” I explained, taking a big gulp from my milkshake.
“Well it’s good that you worked that out. Are you…are you seeing anybody?” He asked softly
“No…” I said simply
We sat quietly for a moment, eating and thinking. When we were finished, Drew paid the bill and we went outside call a cab and share it back to our separate hotels. There had been paparazzi outside the club that had followed us to the diner, but I was glad to see they had rushed back to the club when Paris Hilton showed up, and we managed to slip away in the cab incognito.
The taxi pulled in front of Chateau Marmont and Drew got out and opened my door. He helped me out and asked the driver to wait a moment. “Kellie, I know it’s been a while, and I don’t expect anything to happen. But I would really like to kiss you right now…” He said, holding my hands in his own.
“I…” My brain was telling me that I shouldn’t do it, because I had no real feelings for Drew. But I kept remembering the wonderful nights we had together in New York. My brain was working double time, and it was a matter of morality that finally helped my decision. I stepped back and said, “I don’t think that would be a very good idea.” Instead of a goodnight kiss, I squeezed his hand and turned around to go into the hotel.
I woke up the next morning feeling quite proud of my choice the night before. If I had allowed Drew to kiss me, we might have ended up spending the night together, and I would hate myself with deep regret right about now.
“Hey, good morning!” Carmen said brightly when I came out of my room. “I ordered room service so we can eat before we go to the spa.”
I sat down with Carmen and told her about what happened as we munched on bacon and eggs.
“Well, you may not care, but I’m really proud of you. You made a really smart choice.” She said, and I thanked her with a hug.
After showering and dressing in grey sweats with a pink t-shirt with black lace-print from Juicy Couture and pink Chanel ballet flats, Carmen and I headed out to the spa for a day of pampering before the premiere. We were followed by paparazzi from the hotel to the spa, and Carmen was a bit shell-shocked. This was her first time being fully confronted by paparazzi with me.
When we got into the spa, Carmen and I went between the steam room, seaweed wraps, hot stone massages, and mud baths. After pampering ourselves to the extreme, we headed to the salon to get ready. I got a French manicure and pedicure, had my legs and underarms waxed, and my makeup done. The stylist curled my hair into loose waves and pinned it back for a textured loose bun.
Carmen and I finally headed back to the hotel to get dressed for the premiere. I slipped into the quirky-cute dress I had chosen. It was a purple silk satin halter dress from Tibi with dark metallic grey “martini bubble” print and a thick belt at the waist. The dress was unique and had a style of its own, which was exactly why I chose it. I slipped into a stunning pair of metallic slate grey Louboutin peep-toes with chunky triangular crystals across the toe.
Carmen walked out of her room wearing a pretty chiffon v-neck empire dress that hit right above her knees with a pair of black suede pumps. “Ready?” She asked, looking at the kitchen clock, “The limo should definitely be here by now.”
We headed down to the lobby and out to the limos. As we headed to the premiere I checked my reflection in my silver engraved compact mirror, making sure my smoky bronze eyes had not smudged and my lipstick wasn’t in my teeth. Then the car pulled up in front of the red carpet, and the door swung wide open. I stepped out of the car onto the red carpet right into the bright flashbulbs. The carpet wasn’t nearly as long as the Harry Potter ones, simply because of the sheer size of that fandom. However, it was still pretty long, and I thoroughly enjoyed walking down and posing for shots, signing autographs, and doing interviews.
It was very strange to see myself in on a screen without the long wavy blonde hair of Luna, but I absolutely loved the movie. The movie was produced wonderfully and I was really proud to be a part of it. After the screening was over, we headed to Les Deaux for the after party.
I decided to change into something a little more comfortable than my stiff satin dress, so when Carmen and I slipped into the limo with tinted windows and drove off, I changed into a pretty pink cotton Juicy Couture dress with a sexy scoop neck and a pair of black leather round-toe flats. Carmen did the same, changing into a berry jersey tunic dress and gold flats. We headed into the club, but first I answered a few questions for interviewers waiting outside.
“You changed!” One interview said, holding out her microphone eagerly.
“Yeah, I wanted something comfortable. Something I can dance in!” I said with a laugh.
When we headed inside, there were a few more exclusive interviewers, mostly from magazines and radio shows that would give the movie and the party good publicity. I met a girl named Sydney Summer who did a podcast for E Online called Hollywood Party Girl Podcast.
“So this was your first movie besides Harry Potter, right?” She asked as she sipped on a martini.
“Yeah it was! That was really exciting. I loved the movie.” I answered as a server handed me the Sex on the Beach I had ordered.
“You’re legal in England, right? Do you ever get hassled for trying to get alcohol in the US?”
“Not really…I think in this industry it’s definitely overlooked. But before I was legal in England I very rarely had alcohol at events like this—it might have a bad influence on younger fans.”
“That’s really great! Are you working on any projects right now?”
“Well, we start filming Deathly Hallows in a week and a half, and then I’ll be busy for a while. I’m going to be working on recording some music, but I don’t have a set deadline for myself yet. I’m going to just do it until I’m pleased enough to release an album or something.”
“That sounds really fun, have fun with that!” She said, then added, “I’m going to be broadcasting from New York Fashion Week in a couple weeks, can I expect to run into you there at any point?”
“No! I’m so disappointed, I can’t make it this year because I’ll be busy filming. I’m going to be in Paris, though, for a few shows—my friend Amelia and I are flying over together.”
“Is that Princess Amelia you’re talking about? I know you guys are friends…”
“Yeah! She’s got the private jet so we’re going over for a couple days. I’m really excited for that, I get to go Chanel and everything.”
“Sounds great! Well, it was great to meet you and I look forward to seeing you next time you’re in Hollywood, I hope!”
Carmen and I stayed around and partied for a little while longer, then we headed back to the hotel so we wouldn’t be too hung over the next day.
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On the following weekend I had packed my bags again. Dan had chartered a huge private jet and I piled my bags onto the cargo cart and climbed the steps. Inside Bonnie, Katie, and a few of Katie’s closest friends were sitting on the couches chatting. Soon we were joined by Dan, Emma, Rupert, and a few other cast members. It was the first time I had seen Rupert since our infamous lunch, but the vibe was good. He greeted me with a friendly hug and it was no longer awkward from that moment on. When Katie and Dan’s families joined us, the pilot closed the cabin door and we headed down the runway toward the South of France.
The following afternoon I gathered with Emma, Bonnie, Katie, and her mom in Katie’s hotel room to get ready for the wedding. The colors for the wedding were lilac and pale sage green, so the bridesmaids’ dresses were the most gorgeous lilac silk Vera Wang gowns. The were perfect for an evening wedding on a beautiful beach in Monaco—long, empire-waisted with delicate straps. Bonnie, Emma and I all zipped into our dresses and then helped Katie into her gown. It was a beautiful vintage-style silk chiffon Carolina Herrera gown, with a delicate tier around the scoop neck and a pale pink sash tied with a rose and a long hanging bow. We helped her with her feather-light veil and I had to hold back tears of happiness. Katie’s mom already had to re-apply her makeup, and she stuffed some tissues in the bust of her lilac beaded chiffon dress. Dan’s mom popped in to wish Katie luck and give her a hug and kiss—they were already like family. She was wearing a sage silk taffeta gown with tucks and pleats that made it beautifully elegant.
When we were ready, we headed out to the elevator, through the lobby, and straight onto the beach where the sun was beginning to set. As this wasn’t a traditional church wedding, we nixed the procession. Instead, everyone gathered, barefoot, in the sand as the waves rolled in a few feet away. Katie had hired a photographer for the wedding photos and in a few days they would release the photos to the press with their announcement. He snapped photos through the ceremony as we all fought back tears. When the wedding was over, we headed back up to the hotel room to have a party. After a couple hours we finally headed back to our rooms as Dan and Katie retired to the honeymoon suite.
On Tuesday I was headed to my philosophy lecture when I spotted a tabloid stand just off campus. I stopped by and grabbed the latest tabloids, all of which had a cover shot of Dan and Katie holding hands at their wedding, and such headlines as “Magic couple weds!” and “Dan and Katie—Their Romantic French Wedding!” Smiling, I quickly flipped through them, then bought my favorite and brought it with me to class.
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The Friday after filming started, I headed to set once again, always excited for the events of each day. Of course since the announcement of Dan and Katie’s wedding, press attention surrounding them had gone significantly upwards, so there was a horde of paparazzi surrounding the front entrance to Leavesden Studios. Chuck the security guard was standing just in front of the crowd, waiting to escort us in as we arrived. I parked my car and headed up towards the main building. I was wearing an ivory cardigan with little ruched sleeves and a beaded neck area, medium wash trouser jeans, and nude Louboutin peep-toe pumps with black zigzag edging. I slid my sunglasses on and greeted Chuck.
“Kellie, what’s up with you and Rupert?” One of the paparazzi cried out. Another called, “Are you dating anyone new yet?” I laughed and ignored their questions, breathing a sigh of relief when we finally made it inside. I thanked Chuck for his help and headed out the back door of the main building, which mostly consisted of offices and meeting rooms. I walked over to my trailer, where Carmen was waiting inside, sitting at the table.
“Morning, Kellie!” she said brightly, giving me a hug. She went over the schedule for the day, and when finding that I had a few minutes to spare before I needed to be at makeup, I grabbed my script, told her to meet me there, and headed over to craft services. Just as I finished eating a quick breakfast, my cell phone began ringing.
“Hello?” I said after swallowing the granola bar I had picked out. I grabbed two mochas—one for me and one for Carmen—and set out toward hair and makeup.
“Hey, Kellie…It’s Andrew Sims, from Mugglecast.” Andrew said over the other line.
“Oh, Hey Andrew! What’s going on?” I asked cheerfully, always happy to hear from the Mugglecasters.
“Well, I’m going to be in London this weekend and I was thought I’d see if you wanted to meet up, or something?” Andrew asked—it sounded like he was in an airport.
“Well, of course! I’d love to meet you in person. Is Jamie gonna be around? Maybe he can join us, too?” I suggested as I plopped into the hair and makeup chair.
“Oh…yeah! Well I’ll talk to Jamie and see what’s going on for him this weekend. Is there anywhere you’d like to go? I don’t know London very well.”
“Hmm…how about lunch tomorrow? Are you free? There’s this really great café by my house that would be nice.” I suggested
“Yeah, lunch sounds great. I’m busy until 11, so do you want to meet around noon?”
“Yeah. Let’s just meet at my place and I’ll drive us there.” I said, giving him my address. “There’s a little gate in front of my front walk that’s locked, but just punch 1028 into the keypad and it’ll unlock. I look forward to seeing you!”
Once my hair had been successfully waved and pinned up for my part, I quickly changed into the bright yellow dress robes for the scenes at Bill and Fleur’s wedding and headed to the set.
We did a few shots of each of us just milling about the wedding crowd and talking, then went to the actual wedding scene. We all joked about as Bill and Fleur— __________ and Clémence Poesy, respectively—walked down the aisle by singing and humming the wedding march in the most ridiculous voices possible. Next we shot some various fillers—kids running around outside the wedding marquis with balloons; me dancing with _______________, the actor playing Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna’s father; Emma and Bonnie eating slices of cake and laughing together.
The next day I got ready for lunch with Andrew and Jamie. Since the September air was starting to get quite cold, I put on a brown sweater and a khaki cotton twill pea coat with a soft ruffle around the button section from Anthropologie. I paired it with dark wash denim trousers and cute brown leather round-toe wedges. I curled my hair into loose, soft curls and waited for them to arrive.
At five ‘til noon, the doorbell chimed throughout the house. I checked the peephole to be safe, and saw that it was only Andrew. Assuming that Jamie was simply out of the viewing area of the hole, I opened the door.
“Hey, Andrew!” I said, greeting him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, “Come on in! Is Jamie coming?”
I let Andrew into the front room and shut the door. “Nope, he had to work today actually, but he wanted me to say ‘hello’ and let you know he’ll call you soon so that you guys can get together some time.”
“Okay! Well, would you like to see the house? You can meet my friends that live with me, too.”
After giving Andrew a little tour and introducing him to Nicole, Savannah, and Karigan, we hopped in my car and headed toward the Spirit Café for lunch. Andrew explained that he was in London for a big interview with a radio station. He said that if he got the job he’d be DJing his own afternoon show, and eventually might get into the morning show.
“Oh wow! Well, I think you’ll get it. Businesses don’t usually pay to fly people in—especially internationally—unless they’re sure the person will make it a worthwhile investment, don’t you think?” I said, pouring a glass of the fresh strawberry lemonade we had ordered.
“You think so? I don’t know…I did the interview this morning, and I had to do the live traffic slot. It’s on Radio 1.” He said
“No way! I love Radio 1. I always listen to the morning show on my way to the set. I listened to it today while I was cleaning the house, too. I must have heard you, then!”
“So you don’t remember me being really awful at the traffic, do you?” He asked with a laugh
“Nope! Man, if you get that job, I’ll start listening to it in my trailer, too, so I can hear your show!”
Andrew and I thoroughly enjoyed our lunch together, and I was really glad to have met him. When I brought him back to my house so he could get his rental car and head back to his hotel, I gave him a hug and thanked him for lunch, which he had insisted on paying for.
“So do you know when you’ll find out about the job?” I asked before going inside.
“Yeah, they said they’ll make the decision by Monday afternoon, so hopefully they’ll let me know right away.”
“Well, you had better call me right away, okay?” I added, laughing. I watched Andrew drive off, and then headed back into my house.
Nicole, Savannah, and Karigan were all sitting in the front room on the couch, and I could tell by the looks on their faces that they had been watching me and Andrew.
“What?” I asked when they started giggling.
“Andrew likes you.” Karigan announced. I snorted and walked into the kitchen to get some water.
“Yeah, sure he does.” I said when I found that they had all followed me.
“Seriously, Kellie, I think he does! Did you see the way he looked at you?” Nicole said.
“You guys, he’s Andrew Sims! He’s my friend…that’s just weird.”
After ten minutes of arguing about why we thought Andrew did or did not like me, we all gave up on the topic. “That would only matter if he gets the job, anyway, and we won’t find out for a couple days.” I explained.
When Andrew called Tuesday morning to tell me that he had been offered the job and would be moving to London in two weeks, I avoided telling the girls for as long as possible, fearing another startup of that silly argument.
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When Andrew arrived in London two weeks later, he called to ask if I could suggest any good areas for an apartment. “Radio 1 has offered to pay for my first year in any apartment, I just have to pick one.” He explained. I offered to help him search for apartments, so we planned on meeting as soon as possible.
“Hey, you look nice!” Andrew said when we met the next day. I always believed that when working with real estate you should look presentable and business-like, so I wore a Kelly green sleeveless sweater with a black beaded neckline, a black pencil skirt, black round-toe Louboutins, and a patent black purse.
“Thanks! I like to dress nice for real estate things like this. Speaking of which, she should be here any minute…” I had used the same realtor my whole time in London—finding my flat, then my house, Carmen’s apartment, and now Andrew’s. She was trustworthy and very good at finding the perfect place.
After two hours of visiting apartments around the city, Andrew found the one that he wanted—A top-floor apartment on Victoria Street, a perfect distance from Westminster Abby, Buckingham Palace, and the Houses of Parliament, with a beautiful view of the Thames among these.
“This is…wow. If I didn’t have a house that I love, I’d be fighting you for this, Andrew!” I joked as he signed the papers.
When we finished with the apartment, I suggested that we head over to Hyde Park, which was just down the street, wedged between Buckingham and Kensington palaces. We walked around for a bit, and I pointed out where all of the stages had been during the O2 Wireless Festival.
“I wish I had been able to see you perform…” Andrew said as I stood in the place where the stage I had performed on was. He laughed and said, “Look, I’m in the crowd right now. Sing for me!”
There was nobody around, so I obliged, laughing as I started to sing “Smile”. When I finished that, I belted out Bubbly, Thank You, and Love Song.
“Bravo!” Andrew cried out, clapping. I laughed and we got back on the path. The sun was beginning to set and I was really enjoying our time together. Finally we headed out, and I dropped Andrew off at his hotel. “See you at your party!” I called as he got out.
When I got home, I flopped on the couch between Nicole and Karigan. “Guys, I’m in trouble.” I said. They turned their attention from the TV to me when I said it. Savannah walked in and joined us on the couch.
I let out a deep sigh and said, “I think you guys were right about Andrew liking me…and I think I might like him back.” I dropped my head back so I was staring at the high ceiling.
“That’s great, Kellie! You haven’t seen anyone since Rupert, right?” Savannah said, and then added, “And that guy in New York doesn’t count.”
“No, it’s not great! We’re friends, and I don’t want to kill that…”
“Kellie, it’ll be fine! You’re friends already, so that’s a base for a good relationship. Plus, you were friends with Rupert, and now you’re still friends even though you broke up” Karigan said.
“Speaking of relationships….this guy in my Art History class asked me out.” Nicole mentioned, and we all shrieked in unison. “He’s really nice. And he’s British, which makes it ten times better. I always wanted to date a British boy…” She said,
smiling.
We all followed Nicole up to her room to help her pick out an outfit for their first date, which was dinner that evening. Nicole chose to wear a gorgeous vintage 70’s navy cotton halter, very cruise-style with big buttons all down the back of it. “I have the perfect shoes for that dress!” I exclaimed when we were finished. I ran into my room, pulled a pair of white Prada peep-toe wedges from my shoe rack, and brought them to Nicole. “Here, you can have them if you want—they were swag from a magazine shoot, and I don’t really have anything to wear them with.”
“Thank you so much!” Nicole said, trying them on with the dress. I helped her curl her hair, and once she had finished with her makeup, the doorbell rang—it was nearly 6pm.
Savannah came upstairs and said, “He’s here!”
Savannah, Karigan, and I all went downstairs, introduced ourselves quickly, and then slipped into the kitchen as Nicole came down, looking absolutely gorgeous. We practically shoved ourselves against the door leading from the kitchen to the living room, listening to them exchange nervous formalities, then they left.
“This is so exciting!” Karigan exclaimed as soon as we heard the front door close.
“Yeah, and he was really nice, too!” Savannah agreed.
We all crowded onto the couch, watching movies until Nicole returned several hours later, a huge smile on her face, and we made her recount every detail before allowing her to go to sleep.
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The following Friday evening found me in my bathroom getting ready for Andrew’s house warming party. Andrew had told me it was going to be pretty laid-back and there would be “a whole lot of beer”, so I dressed in a comfy teal jersey dress with twisted straps with beaded flat strappy sandals, a soft cream cable-knit cardigan, and my favorite layered Chanel necklace, with charms of colored stones, Chanel logos, and tiny flowers.
I headed over to Andrew’s apartment—I had offered to arrive early and help him set up. As I stepped into the elevator of his building, I felt annoying flutters in my stomach—was I nervous or excited to see him? I had stopped at the store to get a bottle of champagne, and when Andrew opened the door, he greeted me with a warm hug and I gave him the champagne.
“Come on in, I’ve got to show you something.” He said after thanking me for the bottle. He ran into the kitchen and grabbed two wine glasses from his cupboard—he didn’t own any champagne flutes—then led me outside to the balcony.
The sun was beginning to set over the Thames, and Andrew popped the champagne cork and poured us each a glass of champagne. “To new beginnings.” He toasted, and we clinked glasses and drank. Standing next to Andrew in the rose-colored sunset, drinking champagne and enjoying the view, my stomach began to flutter once more. I felt Andrew lightly brush my back, and I couldn’t tell whether it was by accident or not, but I secretly hoped he would do it again.
Suddenly the doorbell rang, and Andrew jumped a little. “Right…that must be Jamie. We should probably go in.” he said, opening the door and letting me back into the flat. When Jamie came in, we set up the alcohol and cups, and then Andrew asked me to pick out some good music. He had a 15 CD player, so I grabbed my CDs out of my car and went through mine and his—noticing we had a lot of matches—then popped the best ones in and started the music.
Two hours later, as the party was in full force, I was standing on the balcony once again, looking straight over the tops of buildings to the Thames and the towering London eye. There were a few other people lingering about, but I didn’t really know any of them well enough to chat. My bare shoulders began to develop goose bumps from the evening chill, and I inwardly cursed myself for leaving my sweater inside as I took a gulp of my beer to keep warm.
Soon Andrew joined me, and my heart leapt when I felt him place his warm hand on my shoulder. “You must be cold,” he said, handing me my sweater. He sat down on the wooden bench he had placed a few feet away and beckoned me to join.
“It’s a bit chilly, but it’s worth it to see this view.” I said, sitting down beside him. Andrew took a drink of his beer and gazed out at the view with me. I began to weigh my options—should I tell him my feelings and risk being denied? No—I wasn’t even sure if I knew my true feelings or not, and besides, that might scare him. Should I let things continue to slowly develop, or gather up my courage, kiss him, and see where things went from there? Just as I was convincing myself to do the latter, the door slid open and the soulful music of Amy Winehouse drifted out onto the patio, along with some chatter from the party guests. Andrew was looking at me, and when I glanced towards him, our eyes locked. The music was perfect—the moment was perfect. And suddenly…
“Surprise!” An American girl popped up behind Andrew and wrapped her arms around his neck ferociously. He looked shocked and disappointed at the same time. In order to hide my confused emotions, I put my beer cup to my mouth and took a drink as the girl leaned forward and planted a huge kiss on Andrew’s lips.
“Lydia…” Andrew was saying as the girl came around and sat between us, “What…what are you doing here?” He was stuttering, and I could tell he was upset.
“Well, surprising you, of course! I wanted to see your new place, and now we can spend the weekend together! I want to see all of London!” She said, and leaned over to kiss him once again. It was becoming nauseating and I could feel my face getting warm—if I wasn’t careful, I might start crying soon. I drained my cup and stood up. Andrew broke away from Lydia’s grips.
“Uh…Lydia, this is my friend, Kellie. Kellie…this is my girlfriend, Lydia.” He seemed upset when he said it, but Lydia saw nothing. She jumped up and hugged me. “Oh, I just love you! We can be great friends. Any friend of Andrew’s is a friend of mine!”
I could see why Andrew was dating this girl, to an extent. She was model-tall and quite thin, with a pretty face and a hot Brazilian tan, But her personality was ridiculously peppy—nobody could actually be that happy without faking it. After a minute of nearly abusive hugging and ‘chatting’ I excused myself to refill my cup inside, which I did—to the brim.
I avoided the balcony and instead talked to Jamie. He seemed to know I was upset, and I wondered if he could tell I liked Andrew. Either way, he did his best to cheer me up. A game of beer pong had broken out, and Jamie claimed me as his partner and made me play. As I drank more and more I felt better, but I kept seeing Andrew and Lydia together and getting upset again.
By the end of the night, I was ready to pass out. Jamie and I were sitting on a couch talking, and before I knew it I had fallen asleep.
“Kellie…wake up, Kellie. I made breakfast.” I awoke to Andrew sitting at the edge of the couch, leaning over me. “Are you okay?” he helped me up and I grabbed my throbbing head. “Oh…” I groaned. Andrew put his arm around my waist and led me to the table. There were eggs and bacon on a plate with a glass of orange juice and two aspirin. Andrew sat with me and waited for me to finish.
“Where is everyone?” I asked, looking back at the oddly empty room living room. A quick glance at the clock told me it was only 9:30am.
“Most of the people crashed on the floor in my guest room and game room.”
“So…Lydia seems nice.” I said awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.
“Oh. Right…yeah. We’ve been dating for a few months. She thinks we should try a long-distance relationship, you know? She’s in New York trying to get some work as a model.”
The idea that he was dating a model just hurt even more. “Yeah, she sure is pretty.” I added, downing my orange juice. We talked for a while more, and then I left to go home. When I got there, I went to my room to take a nap, but instead I laid in bed, wide awake and crying for an hour.
When I got to set on Monday morning Molly was waiting in my trailer, an unexpected visit. Carmen made herself busy tiding up as we talked.
“Hey, Kellie!” Molly said, hugging me. I plopped down on the couch and she did the same. “I’ve talked to the producers and they said that you’ll be finished with filming in late January, and the press tour starts in April. Now, you can either take the break as-is, or you can work on a new project, it’s up to you.”
I didn’t even need to consider it for a moment—After Gatsby, I was excited to work on more projects. “Okay!” Molly said excitedly, “Well, I’ll start looking around for projects for you, and we’ll keep our options open. Is there anything you do or don’t want to do?”
“If it’s a movie, nothing racy, I like to keep it clean. I’d love a comedy or musical, but I’ll take anything, really.” I said
“Okay. Now, I’ve heard rumors that Yellowcard is considering a concert tour sometime early next year, and it’s likely that since you’ll be doing some more recording soon, they might invite you to open. Would that be something you’d like to do?”
“Absolutely! If we can work it out, that would be so great!” Molly took down some notes, then gave me a hug and left.
“Hey Carmen, I need to go ask Dan a question. I’ll just meet you in wardrobe, okay?” I announced, grabbing my script and heading over to Dan’s trailer.
Katie opened the door and gave me a hug, then let me in. “I’m so sorry to bother you guys right now…but I’m kind of having guy troubles, and I was hoping you might be able to help, Dan…”
I explained the situation with Andrew to them and then Dan began telling me what to do. “If you ask me, it sounds like Andrew is confused. He obviously likes you, but just as he was about to do something about it, his girlfriend showed up. Now, don’t blame him for not telling you about the girlfriend thing. My guess is, he was planning on breaking it off to be with you before she made this surprise visit.”
“Wow, Dan, that’s awesome. How do you come up with this?” I asked, bewildered.
“The same way girls come up with advice for guys…I’m a guy, it just happens. So what you should do is give Andrew and his girlfriend some space, but still talk to him and hang out with him so he knows you’re still interested. He’ll come around before you know it.”
I thanked Dan and gave him and Katie a hug, then went to wardrobe to get ready for my scene.
Later in the evening I was sitting in the hair and makeup chair having the leaves and dirt that had been placed in my hair for a scene removed when my phone rang. My display flashed “Andrew Sims” and I hesitated a moment, but then decided to answer.
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked, trying to sound breezy and nonchalant.
“Are you doing anything tonight?” Andrew asked. My heart fluttered momentarily, but I grounded myself by remembering that Lydia was probably with him right now.
“Oh…uh, I was going to go get some dinner or something.”
Well, I’m pretty hungry, too…you want to meet somewhere?” he suggested. I was confused—shouldn’t he be going out with Lydia tonight?
Dan’s words flashed in my mind: “He’ll come around before you know it.” Had Andrew already broken up with Lydia?
“Sure! I was thinking of going to Fahrenheit for sushi, want to meet there?”
Twenty minutes later I was in my car, headed to London. I met Andrew at Fahrenheit, but was a little bummed to see paparazzi at the door.
“It’s okay; we’ll just push right through. I’ll protect you.” Andrew said, taking my hand. The photographers practically launched themselves at us, and Andrew pushed them around whenever necessary so I could get through.
When we got inside the chic restaurant, Andrew and I sat down in the back, glad the tinted windows blocked the paparazzo’s flashbulbs. Once in a while the door would open and they would snap their shots around whatever traumatized person was trying to walk inside.
“So, that was some party, huh?” Andrew began after we ordered our sake and sushi
“Yeah, it was pretty fun. Jamie and I owned at beer pong!” I laughed nervously.
“Yeah, that’s what I heard! You must’ve been feeling it the next morning…you passed out pretty hard.”
“Oh my gosh…I’ve promised myself I’ll never drink that much again. I hope. I had a late afternoon class on Saturday, too. That was bad.”
We talked about the party, Andrew’s job, and the new auditions I had coming up, but Lydia never made it into our conversation. Finally I gave up on waiting and decided to ask.
“So…how’s Lydia?” I asked during a pause in the conversation.
“She’s…well, she’s fine. She left last night.” Andrew said, an apologetic look in his eyes.
“Going back to model?” I asked softly, hating myself for even bringing her up.
After a long pause, he began, “She’s…Lydia’s a nice girl and everything. But I’m not entirely sure we’re meant to be together.” He explained cautiously.
“I understand that…” I paused, thinking of what I could say to show my feelings to Andrew, “Rupert and I were like that. We had fun and everyone liked seeing us together, but it came down to the fact that we were never actually right together. We’re meant to be friends, and nothing else.”
“Exactly!” Andrew exclaimed, looking excited, “Maybe Lydia and I are supposed to be friends, but we just read the sings wrong and thought we were supposed to date.”
“Yeah! You just went a few steps farther than you should have.” The conversation was becoming heated and I honestly expected that Andrew would call Lydia at that very moment and break up with her. However, we talked about it for a few more moments and then the topic passed. Before long, I headed home, unsure of whether Andrew was going to stay with Lydia or not.
-----------------------------------
Two weeks later nothing had happened with Andrew. The next time we got together—this time going to see a movie with Jamie—he said nothing of the matter. Jamie later explained to me in private that Andrew had actually called Lydia with plans to break up, but she had somehow convinced him to talk through it, and they were still together despite everything.
In an attempt to get Andrew off my mind, I had started writing more music. Finally the time had come to get back into the studio to record. On the first day we recorded “Love You I Do”, “Smile”, “Beautiful Disaster”, and “Thank You”. Smile was released immediately to radio stations as my first single. The following day I showed up to start recording my new material.
Molly and Carmen came with me, along with Jaden, my music manager. I was recording three new songs: “Crush Crush Crush” which had been written for me, as well as “Potential Breakup Song” and “Bubbly”, both of which I had written.
Crush Crush Crush was a rocker-type song that I absolutely loved. Potential Breakup Song was about an impending breakup and whether or not it would really happen—part of which was obviously inspired by my situation with Rupert. Bubbly was my favorite, a light, fun song about the butterfly feeling you get when you see someone you fancy.
When I finished recording for the day, the four of us went out for dinner at Bella II. We had just ordered our drinks when all of a sudden Jamie popped up at the table.
“Hey Kellie! I spotted you across the room when you were coming in.” he said. I was on the end of the booth so I slid out and gave him a big, warm hug.
“Who are you here with?” I asked, looking around to see if it was his family, so I could say hello to his sister.
“Actually…erm, I’m here with Andrew…” He began. I didn’t quite register the awkwardness in this statement and barreled right through it.
“Oh, where is he? I’d like to say hi…” Jamie hesitated, but then led me over to the table.
I realized why Jamie had hesitated before we even got to the table. There sitting next to Andrew, looking rather cozy, was Lydia. Andrew looked a little strained, and when Lydia spotted me, rather than excited look she had given me last time we met, a frown spread on her face. Andrew looked up and nearly choked on his water when he saw me.
“Kellie! Uh…what brings you here?” He asked, and I could tell he was regretting that I was even there.
“I just got done recording for the day, so I’m out to dinner with my agents and my assistant.” I explained lightly, then added, “Hey, Lydia, how are you?”
She didn’t respond, instead turning to stare out the window.
“Er…why don’t I walk you back to your table?” Jamie suggested, and I gladly obliged.
“What was wrong with Lydia?” I whispered as we walked away.
“Um…Andrew may have accidentally mentioned you when they were talking about their relationship a couple weeks ago.” Jamie began.
“What did he say?” I asked, half horrified and half excited.
“He mentioned that you agreed about their relationship being wrong. But it was a mistake, and he admitted that, and he told me that he regretted it right away. He feels really awful, but…Lydia hates you now.”
“Wow. Well, I guess I was never her biggest fan, either…” I admitted. I gave Jamie a hug and he headed back over to their table.
I had barely walked into my house that evening when my cell phone rang. I dropped my bag and keys on the table by the door pulled my phone out—It was Andrew.
“Hey, Kellie…it’s Andrew.” He said, sounding a bit off. “Erm…do you think we can get together and talk tonight? It’s kind of important.” He asked.
I wasn’t sure how to take that, seeing as Lydia was likely still in town unless she had gone straight to the airport from dinner. However, I was glad for an excuse to be with Andrew alone and talk about everything that had been on my mind for the last two weeks, so I agreed.
We met at the Starbucks by his apartment and from there we went to Hyde Park—it had somehow become our place to go when we had nothing to do, and I enjoyed the subtle beauty of the place, with its gorgeous surrounding buildings.
We found a place to sit and Andrew set out a blanket over the fresh, wet grass. “So…what’s on your mind?” I asked, sipping my cappuccino.
“Well…a lot of different things. But first of all, Lydia and I broke up tonight.”
My heart leapt when he said it, but I didn’t know what to say in reply. I was silent for a moment, and we both watched children play in the grass and older couples hold hands and walk along the path. Finally I cleared my throat and said, “What happened?”
“After we saw you at the restaurant tonight, Lydia got really angry. I…I accidentally mentioned you when—“
“Don’t worry,” I cut him off, “Jamie told me. It’s no big deal, that was an honest mistake.” I didn’t mention that it didn’t bother me one bit that she didn’t like me.
“Okay…I’m so sorry, though. But anyway, she got angry. She told me she didn’t want me to hang out with you anymore, and I told her I wouldn’t do that. You’re my friend…and she expected me to dump you just because she didn’t like you. So she said it was a choice between you and her, and I chose you.”
I wasn’t quite sure what to say to that, because I felt extremely guilty. “I’m so sorry I put you in that situation…you….” I was at a loss for words, so I just stopped talking.
“Honestly, I’m glad. She gave me an easy excuse to break up with her—I’ve been wanting to for weeks, I just made the mistake of letting her talk me out of it and I couldn’t work up the courage to dump her after that. So, what I want to say is…thank you.”
When Andrew stopped talking, I was looking down at the ground, pulling grass out in clumps. Andrew reached over and touched my arm, and my heart flipped. I looked up at him and he was staring into my eyes. He put his hand under my chin as though he was about to kiss me, and suddenly…a bright flash exploded in my eyes. I jumped back, and found that a paparazzo had snuck up on us when we weren’t paying attention. I jumped up and Andrew grabbed the blanket, took my hand, and we ran along the path. The paparazzo was following us, and he was quickly joined by two more.
“Those damn paparazzi are crazy!” Andrew shouted as we ran out of the park and down Victoria Street toward his apartment. They were a good twenty feet behind us, so we managed to get into Andrew’s apartment building and into the elevator before they made it into the lobby.
“Wow…” I croaked, breathing heavily from the run. Andrew threw back his head and started laughing, and I couldn’t help but join him—as weird as that had been, there was always something exciting about those moments. When we got to Andrew’s apartment, he got out some food and we sat at the table talking, but sadly the moment never came up for us to kiss.
When it was finally time for me to leave, Andrew walked me out to my car. The three paparazzi had somehow multiplied and there were a good dozen outside. They followed me to my car and when I got in, Andrew was swallowed in the crowd of photographers. I drove off, glancing in my rearview mirror—and that was when I saw it. Andrew was staring after me, the paparazzi were all heading to their cars—whether they were planning to go somewhere else or follow me, I wasn’t sure—and suddenly Andrew broke out into a run. I was stopped at a stoplight a good twenty yards from his building when I noticed him running, waving his arms. I put my car in park and stepped out of the car as he reached it.
“I….I can’t let you go yet.” He said, struggling as he caught his breath. Then he put his hands on my arms, pulled me in, and kissed me.
The next morning I stopped at a coffee shop right outside of Leavesden studios. I got a mocha and a muffin, and on my way out I spotted a tabloid with my face on the cover. Picking it up, I realized that Andrew and I were plastered on the front, sitting together on his blanket in Hyde Park. "Kellie's Sexy New Love!" was written across the front. I bought two copies of the magazine and brought them with me to set. As I sat in hair and makeup I read the article about my "romantic escapade" as the magazine put it.
ROMANCE IN THE PARK
Kellie Holt, the gorgeous 18-year-old celeb (best known for her part in the Harry Potter series and recently starred in The Great Gatsby) seems to have found a new source of romance. Late last night paparazzi caught her canoodling with a tall handsome guy in Hyde Park. According to a source that was nearby in the park, the two had set out a blanket and were chatting and drinking coffee before a paparazzi ambushed them. "They freaked out when the photographer came. They grabbed their stuff and ran, but I noticed as they ran off that they were holding hands." our source explains.
This morning the stranger with Kellie was identified as Radio 1's new afternoon show host, Andrew Sims. Sims moved here just over a month ago from the United States, where he hosted a Harry Potter fan podcast. Now Sims is rising to radio fame with his sarcastic humor and quick wit.
It seems that the pair is freshly single. Kellie broke up with her boyfriend of one year, Potter co-star Rupert Grint, in late June, though the breakup did not become official until early August. And according to a private source, Andrew Sims just broke up with his girlfriend earlier last night. Says the source, he and his girlfriend broke up because his ex didn't like his friendship with Kellie. Later in the evening, it seems, the two got together. Could this be love?
According to the same source, Kellie and Andrew met at the Sydney, Australia premiere of Kellie's film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince back in June. When Kellie was working in New York City, she came in contact with Andrew by phone, though they did not meet in public again until he flew to London in early September for his Radio 1 interview. Sims was very enthusiastic about his friendship with Kellie, says the source.
Last night after running from the paparazzi, they disappeared into an apartment building for a few minutes. When they returned outside, Kellie got in her car and made to leave--but here's the twist: Andrew ran after Kellie's car! The photographers on hand were caught off-guard, as they were climbing into their vehicles, but a few managed to catch photos of Kellie stopped at a red light as Andrew followed. She stepped out of her car, they shared a look, and then Andrew kissed Kellie. She smiled, said a few words, and then got in her car and left. When returning to his apartment, Sims wouldn't comment on the situation.
I laughed at the article. Gossip magazines baffled me--how did they get all of this information overnight? Carmen was reading the other copy, and when she finished I said, "Hey, Carmen, will you do me a favor and have one of these copies couriered to this address as soon as possible?" I wrote Andrew's address on a post-it and handed it to her. "Have them call you before they deliver it, and then let me know."
A half-hour later we got the call from the courier. I dialed Andrew's number on my phone and he answered, sounding somewhat tired. "Hey, Andrew...did you get the door yet?" I asked, hoping I hadn't woken him.
"Nope, I was just on my way when I answered my phone. What's up?" he paused for a moment and I heard him talking to the courier. Then he said, "What's this?"
"Er...it's the tabloids from this morning. Crazy, huh?"
"We're...we're on the cover..." he said, and I could hear him flipping the pages to get to the article.
"It's page thirty-two. They found a source that told them...everything."
Andrew was silent for a few moments as he read the article. Then he said, straight out, "It was Lydia. She was the source."
"What--are you sure?" I asked, only slightly surprised.
"Positive. Besides you, she's the only one that knows we broke up last night. I didn't even get the chance to tell Jamie. And besides, nobody else would do that to me."
"True...wow, I can't believe she did that."
Andrew and I complained about the article for a few more minutes, and then he said, "Anyway, enough of this crap. You want to go out tonight?"
After the kiss we had quickly established that a date would be necessary very soon, and I smiled when he asked--I was excited to actually go on a date with him.
"Yeah, that sounds nice."
"Cool. Just be ready at 6:30, it's a surprise. See you then!" he said, and after I said goodbye we both clicked off
After telling Emma, Bonnie, and Katie the entire story, we spent the day trying to figure out what Andrew might have planned for the evening. We crowded into Emma’s trailer during lunch break, eating the sushi we had ordered and having a long chat.
“Speaking of boys, Emma, how’s it going with Matt?” Bonnie asked.
“Uh…I don’t know. I guess it’s going well…we’ve been talking a lot more lately.” She said, a slight tone of insecurity showing through.
“Honey, you’ve got to just go for it!” Katie exclaimed, “Remember how I was with Dan? I had a crush on him for ages…and finally I just decided to stop waiting around for him to do something. Look at us now…we’re married!” She giggled and thrust her left hand in the air, showing her diamond ring. We all laughed and agreed.
Later in the evening I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my room, getting ready for my date with Andrew. I wanted to look cute but somewhat casual—that just felt right for the situation. I picked out a pair of dark denim boot-cut trousers from Rock & Republic and a deep pink Juicy Couture tweed coat with gold double-breasted buttons over a black v-neck sweater. I paired it with black twisted leather Dior pumps and the dark teal Peacock feather-embroidered clutch my parents had bought for me when I moved to London. I did my hair in soft curls and pinned half of it back. The doorbell ring and I heard Savannah answer. I headed downstairs to meet Andrew.
When I got to the door, Andrew kissed me on the cheek and gave me a bouquet of tulips, my favorite flowers. Blushing, I thanked him and Savannah offered to put them in a vase as she left the room.
“Hey, I don’t know how this happened, but…tonight might be murderous.” Andrew explained. Without further explanation, he pointed towards the front window. I went and looked through the curtains, which were drawn shut, and saw a horde of paparazzi waiting outside.
“There were a few waiting outside the station building when I left after work, and they followed me here and somehow multiplied along the way.” Andrew sounded apologetic, but I waved it off.
“Andrew, don’t worry! It’s not your fault at all. This happens…all the time, really.”
Andrew took my hand and we headed outside, through the paparazzi, and into Andrew’s car, a mini cooper. “That’s so crazy that you’ve got a mini, because this was my second choice when I bought my new car in September!” I exclaimed when we got in. The paparazzi, to neither of our surprise, hopped into their vehicles and followed us.
“Have you ever considered hiring a bodyguard?” Andrew asked as we hopped on the freeway.
“Yeah, I guess that might be a good investment. I just wish I didn’t have to—up until recently they didn’t even follow me that often.” I explained.
The drive was long and with a few well-placed detours and a lot of speeding, Andrew managed to lose the paparazzi, to the delight of both of us.
“So where are we going, anyway?” I asked after driving for nearly 30 minutes.
“I can’t tell you, or I’d have to kill you, and I think we’d both be upset if I did.” Andrew said, smirking, then added, “Don’t worry, we’re almost there.”
Five minutes later we pulled up to a bustling sea town. The dock was lit up with fairy lights and old-fashioned lampposts which reflected on the calm water, and the whole town had an old-fashioned, cozy feel to it. Andrew parked and we hopped out. He led me over to the dock, where I assumed we would watch the ships sail in and out of the harbor and eat some seafood. However, he took my hand and showed me to a little boat.
“I’ve rented it for the evening,” he explained as he let down the steps and I climbed on. There were lights strung around the outside of the cabin area and Andrew disappeared for a moment. Over the speakers some romantic music began to play and he returned with two glasses of wine.
“Wow, Andrew, this is so romantic!” I said, taking the glass and following him to the cabin. I sat with him as he drove the boat out from the dock a little way, then stopped it. We sat out on the deck of the boat at a little table and ate a dinner Andrew had ordered ahead of time and drank our wine.
“Do you want to dance?” Andrew asked as we stood looking out at the sea, with the lights from other boats. I turned around and danced in his arms for what felt like the longest time. I felt safe and comfortable with Andrew, something I had never felt on a first date with anybody before. When we finally parted, it was only for a few seconds before Andrew put his arms around my waist and kissed me.
As the biting cold set in, we picked up the remains of our dinner and brought them inside to the heated cabin. Inside the boat’s control room, Andrew spread out a blanket he had found in a cabinet and we sat together there. The roof had a sky window so we could still see the stars as we laid back on the blanket and talked.
When it was half-past eleven, Andrew got up, hit some gears, and steered the boat back to the dock, so we would have it back to its owner by midnight. Andrew helped me off the boat and on the way back to my house I decided to bring something up I had been thinking about for a long time.
“Hey, Andrew, I’ve got the Teen Choice Awards next week…and Carmen RSVPed for me and a guest. So…would you like to go with me?” Long before Andrew and I had started dating, I’d hoped to work up the courage to ask him, even just as a friend.
“Yeah, sounds great! What night is it?” he asked as he put the car in park in front of my house. Andrew leaned over to me, kissed me on the cheek, and then hopped out and ran over to open my door. He walked me up to the front door and as we stood there in that awkward moment I found myself blurting out, “I was thinking karaoke for our next date…”
Before I could even think to regret blurting it out, Andrew said, “Sounds great! I’ll see you soon, okay?” and then he leaned in and kissed me. It was the kind of kiss that made my knees weak, and I had to lean up against the door frame to keep from falling over. I never wanted it to end. When we broke apart, Andrew gently brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen into my face, then turned and went back to his car.
------------------------------------
On Saturday afternoon I was getting ready for the awards show, excited to see Andrew again. Due to both of our super-busy schedules, plus the rehearsals I had for the awards (I was presenting the Choice Celebrity: Most Charitable award), it had proven difficult to find a night to get together, so we agreed to wait until the next week, when I had a two-day break from filming.
I’d only just let the makeup artist and hair stylists I had hired for the event out of my house, when I went upstairs to check out my appearance and get dressed. Nicole, in a bout of excitement for my first-ever awards show, had pulled out her video camera and was recording the whole process with hilarious commentary from both Savannah and Karigan.
I stood in front of the mirror checking out my hair—April had twisted my blonde locks into soft, loose curls, and then clipped it loosely in the back so it was casual-but-stylish. My makeup was subtle with golden-brown eyelids and lightly bronzed cheeks. “Okay, I’m going to get dressed now!” I said to the girls and the camera. I went into my walk-in closet and shut the door.
When I returned to my bedroom, the girls gasped with excitement. I had chosen a beautiful turquoise silk Kaftan by Temperley. The detail of the piece was incredible—a jeweled neckline, a satin ribbon tie laced through and tied at the back, gorgeous floaty sleeves and bottom hem. “Do you like it?” I asked nervously, hoping it wasn’t too over-the-top.
“It’s amazing!” Karigan cried.
“Oh, good! Will one of you tie me up?” I asked, turning around and indicating the satin ribbon that hung loosely at my sides. As Savannah carefully tied it (“to look perfect!” she explained,) Nicole asked, “So do you have a speech ready for when you win best supporting actress?” Nicole asked
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, I highly doubt I’m gonna win. And if I do…I’ll just wing it. I don’t want to sound like I practiced it in front of a mirror or something.”
The doorbell rang and Nicole ran downstairs with her camera to film as she let Andrew in. I loved her enthusiasm, and I wished all of the girls could come with as well. “You know, I’m going to have to start switching off through you girls bringing you to premieres and stuff. It’s so fun!” I told Karigan as I slipped into the gold lizard strappy heels I’d picked and grabbed my gold Gucci clutch.
When we all got downstairs, Andrew was being submitted to mild torture as Nicole forced him to talk into the camera about God knows what. I giggled a bit when I saw it, and then pulled Andrew away. He kissed me on the cheek and then I gave the girls each a hug, and we left. The car WB had hired was waiting outside, so we climbed in and headed to the show.
The carpet was cobalt blue to look more young and hip than the classic red carpet. When Andrew stepped out, he took my hand and helped me out of the car as well. I immediately went off to sign some autographs, and Andrew stood back a bit watching. Our agents had timed our arrivals pretty well, so it wasn’t long before Katie and Dan showed up together and joined me at the fan area. I was pretty excited about the show, as I could tell already that the atmosphere was laid back and fun. When I had finished signing autographs and taking pictures with fans, I moved on to pose for photographs. Andrew joined me for a few poses at this point, and the photographers went crazy, recognizing him from the tabloid cover.
“Hey, this could be great for your show, you know…” I said as Andrew put his arm around my waist and I coyly put my head on his shoulder for one shot
“What do you mean?” Andrew asked as we moved along the photographers’ section.
“Here, come to the interviewers with me. I’ll show you.” We moved into the press section where interviewers from magazines and news programs alike were waiting. I always tried to interview with not only the big programs, but also the smaller magazines and websites, and even tended to slip in something I didn’t tell the other interviewers, so that they might get a little more attention.
The first stop was with a thin blonde girl from Teen Vogue. This didn’t give much of an opportunity to subtly plug Andrew’s show, because most of our talk was about fashion. “I absolutely love your dress!” she gushed animatedly, “who designed it?”
“Oh, thank you! This is Temperley London. You don’t think it’s too much, do you?” I asked, doing a little twirl
“Not at all. I love the beading and the color!” She said
“Oh, good! I was trying to find something a little more edgy, but I saw this and couldn’t get it off my mind. I think I’ve fallen in love with a dress. And you’ll never believe me, but…when I lived in Phoenix I had a car that was the exact color as this dress. I think I have a soft spot for that color.” I said with a laugh.
“Ooh, your first car? What kind was it?”
“Well, it was my parents’ car actually, but I drove it. It was a ’94 Chrysler Lebaron convertible. That thing was hot!”
When I had finished my interviews with Teen Vogue, I moved on to TMZ. I knew that if TMZ would mention Andrew, his show would be huge, so I did my best to mention it whenever possible.
“Hey, Kellie, Amy from TMZ here. Is this your new man?” a short girl with mousy brown hair said, holding a microphone out as a camera man recorded it.
“This is my friend, Andrew Sims,” I began—I didn’t want to introduce him as my boyfriend, because we hadn’t quite gotten to that point in our relationship. “He’s a host of Radio One’s afternoon program, it’s awesome.”
“How long have you two been dating?” she asked, but I skipped over that question. At this point, to my surprise, Andrew leaned in to talk.
“Actually, I haven’t told anybody yet, but I’m debuting one of her singles next wednesday on the show.” I was shocked and excited—my music was going to be on the radio, and Andrew was the one debuting it!
“What song is it, Andrew?” Amy asked. I was glad to see that she seemed excited for the exclusive story and was giving all her attention to Andrew
“Well, if I tell you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?” he said with a laugh. “Just tune in to my show, it’s from 1 to 4:30 on Radio One.” And with that, the two of us went along to the next interviewer.
“Nicely done!” I said, positively beaming.
Soon we were finished with all of the interviews, and we headed inside for the real fun. We met up with Katie and Dan once again. Katie was wearing the cutest dress, a dark pink Catherine Malandrino empire dress with watercolor cutout Posies on the bust and the hem, ending just above her knees. Katie and I headed over to the open bar and grabbed Apple Martinis while Dan and Andrew talked. Then we looked around the room to take in who was at the show.
“Oh my gosh, look! It’s Jessica Alba!” Katie squealed
“Where?” I asked excitedly, scanning the crowd to find her.
“She’s over there in the corner…in the navy dress, see?” Katie whispered, so as to not sound to ridiculous and star-struck, though we both were. I looked over to the corner and saw the gorgeous actress chatting with a reporter. She was wearing a navy blue jumper with six buttons in a double-breasted row on the bust, her hair down and wavy, with white leather peep-toe pumps.
“Hey…isn’t she hosting the show tonight?” I asked
“I believe so. She looks great! We’ll have to make a point to meet her at the after party.” Katie suggested.
Suddenly Bonnie emerged from the crowd, wearing a cute green LAMB dress reminiscent of the 40’s with a thin yellow leather belt cinching the waist and nude patent peep-toe mary-janes. “Hey guys! You both look gorgeous!” she said, giving us hugs. “I left James with Dan, Andrew, and Matt. What’s going on?”
As Bonnie ordered a Rum and Coke from the bar I said, “Oh, Matt’s here? Carmen didn’t mention he had RSVPed…” I assumed that since he hadn’t had a big part in the reality show, he must’ve been there as part of the cast for the movie’s awards.
“Yeah, he didn’t…” Bonnie paused, flashing a conspiratorial smile, “he’s Emma’s plus-one.”
Katie and I both gasped. “She asked him out?”
Just then Emma found us, her face glowing with a happy smile. “Have you heard the news?” she whispered, brushing a thread off of her peach-pink silk jersey Michael Kors dress with a gold necklace halter. “I’ve asked Matt to the show with me. He’s here, he’s my date!”
I was extremely happy for Emma, and I gave her a hug. “Good for you! You finally got over your fears!” Katie praised.
Emma ordered a drink and then we began to walk around the overcrowded room. “Look, there’s Emma Roberts…” Bonnie said, indicating a thin younger girl about ten yards away, wearing a black knit dress and peep-toe Louboutin pumps
“Oh yeah, I met her on the carpet. She always looks so cute and proper!” Emma said.
We passed by Vanessa Hudgens in a short blue shift with silver trim, hanging on the arm of Zac Efron. Amongst the crowd I noticed Rihanna, with her short asymmetrical bob, teal chiffon Alberta Ferretti frock, and nude sequined Louboutin pumps.
“Oh my gosh!” Bonnie cried just as we were about to head back to the boys, “It’s Gwen Stefani over there! I’m wearing one of her LAMB dresses!”
Gwen was a little ways away, wearing a black and silver sequined Hounds tooth print shift with black fishnets and purple patent ankle boots. She must have felt our staring, because she glanced up and made eye contact with me.
I had met Gwen once before, at the Order of the Phoenix LA premiere, and as she began to make her way over to us, she waved and smiled at me. “Hey, Kellie! How are you?” she asked, giving me a hug. “I saw your performance at the O2 Festival—it was wonderful! So sorry I couldn’t make it, though.”
“Oh, thanks! I’m glad you liked it. Have you met the girls yet?” I asked, indicating Emma, Katie, and Bonnie.
They all introduced themselves and when Gwen saw Bonnie’s dress she said, “Oh, honey, you pulled it off so well. I love the green with your ginger hair!”
Bonnie seemed star struck as she thanked Gwen. We all chatted for a bit and then Gwen went off to find her husband and son. Just as we met up again with Dan, Andrew, Matt, and Rupert, who had arrived with a date as well, an announcer’s voice rang overhead, asking everyone to take their seats in the theatre.
We all filed into the theatre and were shown to our seats, only seven rows from the front. The lights dimmed once everybody was inside, and a screen in front of the stage lit up, showing a funny little parody of all the big summer movies. When it was over, the screen rose up and was somehow pulled back to preside over the stage. Jessica Alba came out holding a microphone and wearing the outfit we’d seen her in moments ago. After a short, witty monologue, the lights dimmed again and Aly and AJ came out to perform a song. Aly was wearing a bohemian style jersey print kimono dress with black leggings and flats; AJ wore a black cotton bubble-hem dress with a bow on one strap and fuschia peep-toe sequined pumps.
“Those are so cute! I wonder where she got them?” Bonnie whispered in my ear.
“It’s hard to tell, but I think the soles are red. Must be Louboutins!” I replied as they finished their song.
Not too long after, the award for Choice Television: Breakout Reality Show was being announced. Lily Allen was at the podium in a cute teal dress with pink, yellow, and purple swirls from Pucci with gold flat sandals. “And the Breakout Reality Show award goes to…” she paused to open the green envelope, “Life is Magic!”
The crowd cheered and I couldn’t believe my ears. It was with shaky legs that I stood up, gave Andrew a quick kiss, and followed the rest of the cast up to the stage. Daniel was the first to make it to the podium, so Lily handed him the Silver Star statuette—we would all receive ours just after the show, it was much easier than having to pass out a Star for each of us right there. Emma took the microphone from Lily and began, “Wow, this is incredible. On behalf of all of us, thank you to WB for allowing this show to be made and all of you for actually watching it, and—err…” Emma seemed at a loss for what else to say, and being that I was closest, she shoved the microphone at me.
“Thanks to you for caring about us and making this show a possibility, we had a really great time making it. And thank you so much, all of you, for voting for us! This means the world to us and who knows, we may just do another season!”
The crowd cheered as we filed backstage into the frenzied crowds. There were stars waiting to present, recent winners celebrating before heading back to their seats, and statuettes being handed out to the larger casts. We joined the celebration with a glass of champagne each and waited to be given our statuettes.
I headed back to my seat at the next commercial break, along with Emma, Rupert, and Bonnie—Dan and Katie were waiting to present the next award. I set the statuette under my seat and Andrew congratulated me for the win.
Soon enough it was time for the award that meant most to me. As Hilary Duff stood up front in a black doily-style lace covered shift that looked a bit grandma-ish and over-the-top black pumps with a huge black bow in the back, Andrew held my hand and I squeezed it nervously. “Okay, the Best Supporting Actress in a film is…Kellie Holt for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince!”
I gasped and covered my mouth to hide the gaping expression I had pulled. “Oh my gosh!” I cried. I jumped up, gave Andrew and Bonnie, who were the two closest to me, a hug, and then headed up to the stage to get my statuette. I hugged Hilary and stood at the podium, quickly thinking up words to say.
“Well, my friend Nicole asked me today what I was going to say if I won, and I told her I didn’t have a speech because I probably wasn’t going to win. The fact that I did is—it’s just great! Thank you guys so much, I’m sorry I didn’t prepare anything now, so I’ll say, thank you so much to everyone on the cast—you all mean the world to me. Thanks to the producers, to the director David Yates, the entire crew, without you this wouldn’t be possible. Thanks to WB, Molly, Carmen, mom and dad, my sister Megan, and all of my friends. I love you guys!”
I headed backstage once again, and this time I stayed there to present the award for Most Charitable. While I was back there waiting, Amy Winehouse—in a black dress and huge red pumps—appeared after having present the Best Liplock award to Bonnie and Dan, both of whom came up to me chatting excitedly. “We’ve all won all of the awards we’ve been nominated for so far—you for supporting actress, the Life is Magic award, Rupert and Emma with sidekicks, and Dan with Action Adventure Actor. We’ve just got three more and it could be a full sweep for the film!” Bonnie cried
I couldn’t tell them but from rehearsals I knew already that Dan was to win Charitable Celeb. Dan was rushed back to his seat before I presented the award. Jessica was back out on the stage in a black and cream chiffon zebra-print faux-wrap dress. She did a quick monologue and then announced, “Now to announce the award for Choice Celeb: Most Charitable are the lovely and talented actresses Kellie Holt and Nicole Kidman!”
The idea of presenting an award with Nicole Kidman was incredible—though I had only just met her backstage, since we had done our rehearsals at different times. She looked smart in a peach twist-front sweater, thin black slacks, and a well-cut black blazer, all paired with black round-toe Louboutin pumps.
When we reached the podium, Nicole holding the envelope as I clutched the Silver Star, Nicole began reading the teleprompter, saying, “Throughout the year many celebrities have chosen to use their plentiful riches for more than buying the latest Gucci bag or Prada pumps…”
I added, “Though we are only giving this award to one of these charitable celebrities, we applaud every one of them—and all of you—for giving back to your communities and enriching the lives of others.”
There was a pause for applaud, and then I began, “The nominees for the Choice Celeb: Most Charitable award are…”
A recorded voice began listing the five nominees and the work they had done in the community in the recent past.
Nicole opened the envelope and handed it to me. “The winner, for his work with the Demelza Hospice for Children, Daniel Radcliffe!” I called. I looked out into the audience to see Daniel jump up, kiss Katie, and run up to the podium. I could tell this was his favorite award of the night. He gave a quick speech, promising to donate his Silver Star to the Demelza House and thanking everybody that had helped with his charity
In the next hour they announced the winners for Choice Action Adventure Movie and Choice Summer Action/Drama movie, both of which were Harry Potter. We were all ecstatic with the sweep, and when the show was over, we headed over to the press room to answer a few quick questions. We were off to a nice after-party and then headed home to get some much-needed sleep.
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The Wednesday after the awards, I sat on the couch in my trailer, reading a book and waiting to be called to the set. I was still thinking back on the lovely night I’d had—the after party, where Andrew and I danced outside despite the very cold temperatures; my front doorstep, when Andrew kissed me goodnight. I stood up from the couch and headed over to turn the radio on. I felt especially cute today in my white skirt covered in light green, yellow, and purple flowers with thin brown stripes, which I wore with a light yellow scoop-neck tee and brown round-toe espadrille wedges with colorful ribbon laced around the edge, and my hair pinned half-back in loose curls. I flicked on the switch and heard Andrew’s voice on Radio 1.
After a few songs, Andrew announced the premiere of my song. “This is a song by a wonderful new emerging artist. You might know her as the actress that plays Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films…this is “Bubbly” by Kellie Holt!” Andrew said. The tune to my song came on and I screamed with excitement. I flung open the door to my trailer, looked around, and spotted the people closest to me—Dennis the set director, Dan, and Carmen.
“Guys! My song is on the radio!” I yelled, and turned it up a few notches so they could hear.
“Really? Congratulations!” Dan said. Dennis gave me a high-five and went off to find some props. Dan and Carmen came over to the trailer to listen in. When the song was over, they both clapped. Dan gave me a hug and told me it was great.
I couldn’t help but notice, however, that while Carmen wore a big smile, she seemed a bit worried. When we had finished celebrating, Dan excused himself and I shut the door and turned off the radio. “Hey, hon, what’s up?” I asked as Carmen sat down at the table.
“Not much today…it’s a slow filming day for you so you’ll want to find something to amuse yourself. Also, Andrew called to see if you’d like to go out to dinner tonight.” Carmen said.
“No, Carmen, I mean what’s up with you?” I said when she had finished, “You seem a bit…worried, or something.”
Carmen hesitated for a moment and then said, “Well, I really must tell you this. I saw this on my way here this morning.”
She handed me a tabloid with a photo of me and Andrew at the teen choice awards on the front, and a huge split down the middle. It looked similar to the ones I’d seen when Rupert and I had broken up—they found a picture where I wasn’t completely smiling to make me look as though I was upset—though I didn’t understand why, as we were still together. That’s when I read the headline, which stated, “Kellie’s new man—already taken?!”
“What…what is this?” I asked, taking the magazine from Carmen. I flipped through the pages to find the article.
“They’ve dug up some information on Andrew, and it says that he was known to cheat on his last girlfriend with multiple girls, and that since moving to London he’s hooked up with an old high school friend in secret.”
I was completely dumbfounded as I read the article. I wouldn’t have believed a word of it, except that there were pictures. One was of Andrew and his ex Lydia, one of him and another girl dated at a time where he was still seeing Lydia. The one that hurt most was of him and a redhead girl sitting outside at a London café I recognized, kissing. It was the very same café where we had first gone to lunch when Andrew was visiting. However, this was dated at Monday, two days after the Teen Choice Awards. It seemed that, as my boyfriend and the new Radio 1 host, Andrew had gained a bit of paparazzi attention.
I set down the magazine as I finished the article, tears welling in my eyes. Carmen obviously wasn’t sure what to say, so she put her hand on top of mine on the table and patted it. “Can I have my phone, please?” I said quietly. Carmen went over to the bed in the back of the trailer and returned with my cell phone. I began to dial Andrew’s cell number and she excused herself to give me some privacy.
When Andrew answered, it was obvious that he hadn’t yet heard the news. “Hey, beautiful, did you hear your song? Did Carmen ask you about dinner tonight?” he said. I could hear the sounds in the background indicating that he had just put on a song and was taking a break from talking.
“Yeah. But listen, let’s get together early. What if I meet you right when you get off?” I suggested. As it was a slow day, I knew I would be getting off within the next few hours and would be able to meet him early to talk.
“Oh…well I was going to go out for a drink with the guys real quick before dinner. But I can change the plans if you’d like…” Andrew sounded worried as he said it.
“Oh, not at all! If you’ve got plans, it’s fine. We’ll do that some other day. Dinner at seven, is that okay?”
I hung up with Andrew after a moment and began formulating a plan in my head. It was completely possible that Andrew really was going out for drinks with his work mates. However, it was also plausible that he might be meeting the girl in the photo. I decided to show up anyway, and if Andrew was telling the truth, I’d say I was just in the area and decided to say hello, and I’d be on my way.
When I got done with filming that afternoon, I hugged Carmen and thanked her for giving me the heads-up. I was glad that I’d found this out at least before Andrew knew, so I could get my thoughts straight before the talk. I hopped in my car and headed back to London for the Radio 1 studio. I had barely parked and was heading towards the building when I saw a familiar looking redhead up ahead. She didn’t notice me, so I kept a few yards back and followed her inside. I watched her head into an elevator and waited for a moment before getting into one myself.
When I got up to the floor of Radio 1, the redhead was nowhere to be seen. I waited for a moment I the empty hallway, but when she didn’t emerge, I headed into the studio. Andrew had just finished with his show, and was leaving the sound room. He didn’t notice me yet, and I watched from ten feet away as the redhead gave him a huge hug and then they locked in a kiss together.
I cleared my throat subtly but noticeably after a moment of their awful kissing. Andrew glanced up, jumped, and pulled away from the girl. “Kellie…what are you—?” he stopped.
“Are you kidding me? You’re going to question me, when I just caught you making out with this slut?” I said, keeping my voice down to avoid a commotion, but I was sure that Andrew could still hear the rage in it.
“Kellie, Andrea’s just my friend, nothing else. We’re high school friends and we were going to head over to a bar with my coworkers…that was just a longer kiss than we should’ve had. Nothing more.”
I couldn’t believe that Andrew was standing here, lying blatantly in my face. I pulled out the magazine from my purse. “Obviously that wasn’t the first long kiss you’ve had,” I snarled. I tossed the magazine on the ground in front of them, where Andrew stood, mouth wide open with shock. I turned, walked out, and as I hit the doorway I said, “Please, don’t call me.” And left.
The rest of my week was spent quite the same way: holding my head high during the day and smiling; crying like a baby when I got home. However, the following week I was flying home to Phoenix for a three week break. It was nearly my birthday, and I had managed to get that time off from filming to spend with my family. The Seattle Mariners, my all-time favorite baseball team and the one I’d followed since I was old enough to know what baseball was, were heading to the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the perfect matchup, as I loathed the Diamondbacks and they played in Phoenix. Therefore I was treating my dad and sister to the ultimate fan experience—seeing every world series game, at both stadiums. My mom was only able to go to the games in Phoenix as she was busy with work and going to school to get her Master’s. But for the three of us I’d chartered a private jet to fly us between Seattle and Arizona for each game. To my great delight and joy, the Mariners had invited me to throw out the first pitch and sing the National Anthem at the first game of the series in Seattle. The Diamondbacks had done the same, not knowing that I was a huge Mariners fan, but I’d obviously turned them down.
When I got to Phoenix, I spent the night in my old bedroom, thinking back on life before London. I’d been dating Derek, was struggling with the cursed AP junior year of high school, and was happily working at Ulta. No year-long relationships suddenly ending, no being cheated on after less than two weeks of dating, no media speculation on every aspect of my love life. However, I couldn’t help but feel very glad that I had made the choice to audition for the film. I didn’t want to even worry about what life would’ve been like otherwise, because this was the path that I’d chosen and there was no point lingering in the past.
The following morning, we said goodbye to my mom and brought our luggage to the nearby private airport. When the jet touched down at SeaTac in Seattle, we gathered our things and hopped into the car waiting for us. It took us straight to Safeco Field, where I was scheduled to have a rehearsal for the national anthem before the game that evening.
Huge last-minute preparations were being made around the stadium and we all watched in awe as we were led by a stadium worker onto the field. The grass was even more plush under my feet than I had imagined, the space between each base was massive, and the pitcher’s mound was more like a miniature mountain. Megan and my dad stood on first and second base, respectively, as I stood on the pitcher’s mound and did my rehearsal.
After rehearsal, we headed down to the waterfront to get some fish and chips at Ivar’s for lunch and then walked over to our hotel, the Edgewater, where our bags had already been dropped in our rooms. The Edgewater was a world-famous hotel where the Beatles had once stayed and where Led Zeppelin’s Mudshark incident had taken place. It was positioned directly over the water on the edge of a pier, so that those rooms on the outside of the building offered fishing from the window.
After unpacking, I changed into my game outfit: comfy American Eagle jeans, a navy Mariners windbreaker, and converse, with my hair down in loose curls, which I’d be able to easily pull up if I wanted to. We headed to the stadium in the car the Mariners had sent for us. The frenzy outside was already exciting, and it was over two hours before game time. When we got inside, a representative for the stadium showed me to a press area where a few people wanted interviews. I answered some questions, but only ones about the Mariners and the world series, not wanting to take the attention away from that with personal questions. There was one reporter for the Seattle Times that was particularly kind and polite, and when I was finished, I offered that if she ever wanted an exclusive interview, I would be happy to give it to her.
After that, Anne, the representative, brought us out onto the field. The Mariners were taking their batting practice and we sat in chairs near the dugout watching in complete awe. When they had finished up, Anne told us we could go among the players and meet them if we wanted to as they stretched and warmed up. Of course we jumped at the action, heading over towards the group of players nearest.
Among the crowd were Kenji Johjima, Wladimir Balentien, and Erik Bedard, talking as they stretched their legs. Wladimir looked up as we approached and nudged Erik. All three of them stopped and said hello, introducing themselves and shaking our hands. We talked about the game and a little small talk, and then moved along to meet some other players.
I was chatting with Miguel Batista when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and saw Felix Hernandez, my favorite player on the team. He was a pitcher with thick curly black hair and a distinct Venezuelan accent, and I’d had a schoolgirl crush on him since I was 16.
“Hi, I just wanted to introduce myself…” he said, holding out a hand. I shook his hand and he joined my conversation with Miguel. After a few minutes’ chat, Felix said, “I was actually wondering if you would mind saying hi to my daughter, Mia. She loves you, and she’s got to go down to the daycare with the other kids in a minute…”
“Oh, I’d love to!” I followed Felix across the field to wear an adorable little girl with curly black hair to match her father’s was sitting in a seat by the dugout, playing with Barbies. As we approached, I said, “I never knew you had a daughter. How old is she?”
“I never thought you even knew who I was…” Felix said with a laugh, and then added, “She’s 3. I love her so much…I don’t get to see her very often, though.”
“Because of the traveling you do?” I asked, unsure of what he meant.
“No…her mother and I split up last year, so she’s got her during spring training and the season in Venezuela, and I get her the rest of the year up here.” Felix said. He sounded a bit sad but then said, “It’s all for the best, though. I wouldn’t be able to give her the attention she deserves if she was here all the time”
We reached the girl and she looked up, saw who I was, and gasped. “Daddy! Daddy! Luna!” she squealed, dropping her Barbies on the seat next to her and jumping up. Felix picked her up and set her on the field in front of me.
I talked to Mia and played Barbies with her for a few minutes before she was gathered up with the rest of the players’ children and brought to the daycare. As I walked back towards the rest of the team with Felix, I asked if he would give me a few pointers on the best way to throw out the first pitch. He showed me how to do it without looking silly or being too serious.
When it was time for the players to head into the dugout and the majority of the stadium was filled with fans, I was ushered back into my dressing room. I quickly changed into the lace top, white skinny pants, and white leather point-toe pumps. I combed my fingers through my hair and quickly went back out to the entrance into the Mariners’ dugout. I watched from there as both teams shuffled out to the field and stood in a line, taking their hats off, and everyone in the stadium stood up. The color guard made their entrance and then an announcer said, “To perform the Star-Spangled Banner this evening, The Seattle Mariners are proud to present screen actress, singer, and Seattle native Kellie Holt!”
I walked out to the small round stage on the pitcher’s mound with my microphone. I held up my mic and began to sing a capella. When I finished, fireworks exploded overhead and the Blue Angels flew over the open roof of the stadium. I smiled as the teams put their hats on and headed back into the dugout for the starting lineup.
I headed out to the field and threw the first pitch, and then Anne led me, Megan, and my dad to our seats. We sat directly behind home plate in the first row, and I could look straight out at the batter, and past that, Felix on the pitcher’s mound. I put my hat on and sat through the entire game, glad that very few people around were paying attention to me, as the focus was on the game.
The Mariners won an incredible 10-2, and as the stadium emptied out, we stayed behind to let the traffic clear out. We figured that way I wouldn’t have to worry about people bothering me, especially as we planned on walking the short distance back to our hotel. We stayed after so long that most of the players had already gone to the locker rooms and were coming back out in their plain clothes, meeting their kids and getting their things to head home.
Felix walked over holding Mia and her two Barbies. “Mia wanted to say goodbye…” Felix said, smiling. Mia waved goodbye and smiled. Megan and my dad started gathering our things and, surprisingly, said they’d meet me at the top of the stairs when I was ready. I was quite shocked that they didn’t want to stay and talk to Felix, but I figured I’d let them go and ask later.
“So you’re going back and forth to all the games, right?” Felix asked, setting Mia down in the seat next to me and climbing over to sit next to her.
“Yeah, I thought it would be fun, since my family lives in Phoenix and we’re Mariners fans…” I said. “We don’t fly out until tomorrow night.”
“Well after training tomorrow all the guys from the team are going out to lunch, and we’re inviting everyone involved in the games. Why don’t you guys come?” he suggested.
“Well, I’ll see if we can. How about you call me tomorrow when you’re done training?” I wrote down my cell phone number and handed it to Felix, then gave Mia a hug and said goodbye. On the walk back to our hotel, I told Megan and my dad about the lunch. “Speaking of which, why didn’t you guys stay behind and talk to Felix with me?” I asked.
“Oh, Kellie. It’s so obvious that Felix likes you. We had to leave you two alone!” Megan said.
“What?” I cried. “No, Felix was just being nice to me! That’s ridiculous.” Neither Megan nor my dad would stand down from their argument that Felix liked me, but I refused to believe it.
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The following morning I woke up feeling relaxed and happy. This was the first real day of my three-week break—no more PR stuff or big events until I returned to London. We would have plenty of time in the next couple weeks to visit family, so the three of us spent the morning walking around the city, enjoying the chilly weather and the threat of a beautiful storm looming in the sky. As it started getting really windy, I zipped my purple AE hoodie up all the way and pulled my hair into a loose ponytail so it wouldn’t blow in my face. I was just beginning to regret wearing somewhat thin khaki cargos and my converse were soaked from the puddles I’d stepped in when my phone rang.
“Hello?” I said into the phone, covering my other ear to keep the buzz of the crowds of people around me out.
“Hey, Kellie, it’s Felix.” Felix said on the other end of the line, his thick Venezuelan accent making me smile. “Hey, we just finished up with training, so we’re gonna hit the showers and get ready. Do you want to meet us all for lunch?”
“Sure! We’re just kind of hanging out at Pike Place so I’m sure my dad and Megan won’t mind.” I said, looking over at them, a few feet away, waiting for me to finish up.
“Okay, we’re going to the Pyramid Brewery on 1st Ave, right across from Safeco.” Felix said. I could hear some guys in the background calling his name.
“Sounds good! Hey, just call me when you guys get there and we’ll head over, we’re just down the street.” I said. We said goodbye and hung up.
“Okay, we’re going to meet them at the Pyramid Brewery in a little bit.” I told Megan and my dad. We headed back to the hotel to change, as our clothes were soaked with the drizzling rain and we didn’t have umbrellas.
When we got to the hotel I changed into a khaki cotton twill pea coat with a soft ruffle around the button section from Anthropologie, paired with dark wash denim trousers and cute brown leather round-toe wedges. When we got out onto the street, my dad hailed a cab while Megan and I stood shivering under the umbrella. As we piled into the cab, Felix called to say they were all walking across the street to the Brewery, and I let him know we were on our way.
When we arrived, Felix, Miguel, and Adrian Beltre were huddled under the awning outside the brewery’s doorway. We got out of the cab and went to meet them.
“Hey guys! You didn’t have to wait outside, it’s freezing!” I said, giving each of them a hug. We all headed inside to the huge table in the back of the restaurant where basically the entire team was sitting, as well as the coaches, some of the players’ kids, and various other people. There were three seats open that we sat down in. Felix went to sit by Mia, who was sitting in a high chair eating macaroni and cheese. When she spotted me she yelled, “Hi, Kellie!” and waved vigorously.
We all ordered our lunch and spent the next hour eating, talking, and telling stories. At one point it got very quiet as everybody had finished their stories at once. All of a sudden, over the radio that was playing throughout the restaurant, I heard the opening lines of my new single, Bubbly. Not wanting to make a huge commotion, I turned and mentioned it quietly to Megan. However, Adrian Beltre’s wife was sitting next to Megan and she heard.
“Hey, guys, this song on the radio is by Kellie. It’s her new single!” She announced. Everybody got quiet and listened to the song, and I couldn’t help but smile. At the end of the song, nearly everybody at the table started cheering. I laughed and they all congratulated me. This moment—hearing my song on the radio with my dad and Megan, the whole team, and some of the nicest people I’d ever met—was truly happier than it had been when I heard the world debut of the song in my trailer in London.
When we all finished with our lunch, we paid the bill and made our way to the front. As we walked to the front door, Megan and my dad got caught up in a conversation with Yuniesky Betancourt, and I lagged behind talking to Felix and Mia.
“So, I figured that while we’re in Phoenix I’d try to take Mia to some kid-friendly places, because she’ll probably get really bored with all the flying we’ll be doing, and stuff. Plus at the games she only gets to see the daycares. What is there to do there that she’d like?” Felix asked as we followed the rest of the group out, gaining stares and dropped jaws from every table.
“Honestly, there’s not much. There’s a few nice parks—the railroad park is fun for the little ones—and there’s the zoo and the science center. But that’s about it.” I said. We had hit the front of the restaurant and everyone was grouped outside talking.
“Well, would you like to come with us? I’m sure Mia would like that,” Felix suggested, then added quickly, “That is, only if you want to. I’m sure you’ve got a lot to do, too…”
“No, that sounds great. I don’t really have anything planned, anyway. I can show you around Phoenix,” I said, smiling.
When Megan and my dad were finished talking to Yuniesky, I gave Mia a hug and promised to call Felix the following day to make our plans. The three of us headed back to our hotel to pack our things and go to the airport for our flight home.
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On Wednesday morning I woke up, took a shower, and called Felix as I was getting ready for the day. “Hey, what’s up? So what’s your schedule?” I asked as I combed my wet hair out.
“Well, I’ve got to be to the stadium by 5, but my day’s empty before that. I mentioned the word ‘zoo’ to my mom on the phone and now Mia won’t let me forget it…”
“Well, should we go to the zoo, then?” I asked, laughing. I could hear Mia cry, “Zoo!” in the background.
“Yeah, let’s do that. Do you want to meet there or something?” Felix asked
“Well, were are you staying? Maybe we can drive down together, it would probably be easier.” I said, heading into my room to pick out a zoo-worthy outfit.
“I’m in a hotel in Peoria, right by the complex. Do you want me to pick you up? I’ve got a rental…” Felix suggested. I could hear Mia talking in the background and Felix laughed quietly and said something to her.
“Why don’t I pick you up, actually? I’ll just take my parents’ car, I know the way down there pretty well.”
We arranged for me to pick Felix up in an hour and a half, and I set out to finish getting ready. I picked out a cute peachy-orange cotton dress with buttons and pintucking on the bodice and eyelets trimming the bottom hem, pairing it with a soft cream cardigan and bronze flat Grecian sandals. I pulled my hair up into a messy bun, grabbed my sunglasses and purse, said goodbye to my family, and headed out the door.
When I got to the hotel Felix had given me directions to, he was sitting on a bench right out front, with Mia resting on one knee. Felix put Mia’s car seat in the back and fastened her in, then got in the car next to me, putting a backpack between his legs. After giving me a quick hug, Felix unzipped the backpack and reached back to give Mia a juice box as I pulled out of the parking lot.
“This is my Mr. Mom backpack, like a diaper bag for men,” Felix explained, laughing. “I’ve got her pull-ups, a change of clothes, snacks, and sunscreen.”
Mia was looking adorable and ready for the zoo in a cute cotton madras dress and white flower-covered sandals, and Felix looking quite good in cargo shorts, a light blue striped button-down with the sleeves rolled up, and leather flip-flops. We made the long drive down to the zoo and when we got inside Mia asked for lunch. We found a nice shaded spot in the grass and Felix laid out a blanket that he had also packed in his backpack. We ate hot dogs from one of the stands and the grapes and fruit snacks Felix had brought along.
Felix put sunscreen on Mia’s face, arms, and legs before we set out to see the animals. As we walked along the main path, Felix and I chatted about whatever came to mind. “I’ve decided to move back to the States when I’m finished filming Deathly Hallows…” I began. I had decided this the previous week, when I split up with Andrew. I’d decided that I couldn’t continue my education at Oxford and keep up my career—it was already proving extremely difficult with just the Potter film, and with other opportunities popping up, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with everything. I was going to keep the house in London so the girls could stay, and so I would always be able to go back, as I loved London. I was going to sell my apartment in London, buy one in LA, and buy a second one in Seattle. The one day I spent back there reminded me how much I loved and missed that city, and I was overwhelmed with a desire to live there again.
“Really?” Felix asked as we brought Mia over to see the giraffes.
“Yeah—I’m going to get an apartment in LA for when I’m working, and the rest of the time I want to live in Seattle. I loved being back there and I’ve decided I want to live there.”
“But don’t you have a lot of stuff going on in London?” Felix asked, and I could tell he was quite curious but didn’t want to seem too nosy.
“Well, not really. I’ve got a house, but I’ll keep that. My friends live there and they’re going to Oxford. But with my career, I can’t keep going to university there, and I’ve got…well, there’s nothing else holding me back.” I said
“Well aren’t you still dating that guy that played Ron?” Felix asked cautiously
I paused for a moment, gathering my words. “No…we split up in June. He…well, he said some things that he didn’t hold true to.”
“So…you’re single?” Felix asked
“I guess so. I was just dating a friend of mine, his name’s Andrew, and we’d been together for a couple weeks when I found out he was cheating.” There was a silent pause and we both watched Mia for a moment. “I guess I haven’t had much luck dating in the business…”
“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have asked.” Felix said, picking Mia up.
“No, not at all. It’s nice to be able to talk to you about it, there’s not very many people that will listen.” Felix smiled and I gave him a quick hug, and then we headed down the path toward the otters.
When we finished up at the zoo, Mia was tuckered out and I carried her as we headed back to the car. Felix strapped her into her car seat and she snored softly as we drove back towards the hotel. “Thank you so much for doing this with us,” Felix said quietly on the way, “It wouldn’t have been as fun without you.”
We were about twenty minutes away from the hotel when Felix said, “Oh, hey, would you mind stopping at a sporting goods store? I want to pick something up before I forget…”
We were just at the Cactus exit on the 51, so I pulled off and went to a very familiar area. Right next to Sports Authority was the Ulta I had worked at when I got the part as Luna. Felix carefully pulled Mia out of her car seat and she didn’t even bat an eyelid, her thumb stuck in her mouth as she slept on his shoulder. We went into Sports Authority and Felix got a few training shirts.
“Hey, do you mind if we run next door to Ulta?” I asked as we walked out. “I used to work here, so I want to stop in and say hi.”
When we walked through the door a girl was standing at the cash register looking positively bored. When she glanced up to welcome us, her jaw dropped and she was silent for a moment, before stuttering, “W-welcome to Ulta!” I asked if Shelly was working, and she said, “Yes, she is….let me just page her.”
A few moments later my favorite manager from when I had worked there came bustling up to the front, most likely expecting to have to help a customer or be a backup cashier. When she spotted me, she cried, “Kellie!” and ran up to give me a hug.
“Hey, Shelly! How are you?” I asked as I returned the hug. “This is my friend Felix, by the way, and his daughter Mia. Felix, this is Shelly, she was my favorite manager!” I explained. Mia had woken up at this point and was looking bleary-eyed but happy.
“Hey, is anyone else still working here that I knew?” I asked as we walked a bit further into the store to get out of the doorway.
“Meagan V is still here, and Audrey, too. They’re both working right now, too!” Shelly led me back to the break room, where Audrey and Meagan, two of my closest friends from Ulta, were sitting together and talking. When they first spotted Shelly, Meagan jumped up—she apparently was supposed to be out on the floor. But when the two girls spotted me, they both shouted, “Kellie!” and ran over to hug me.
We talked for a bit and I introduced them to Felix, and before long it was time to go. I gave all three of them hugs and promised to come back and visit more often when I came to Phoenix. When we got back in the car it was 3:30, so I rushed to get Felix back to the hotel.
“So does Mia get to see any of these games?” I asked as we got off at the exit in Peoria.
“I’d love for her to be able to go, but I don’t have anybody to watch her, so she’s got to stay in the daycare with all the other kids. Poor girl probably gets so bored there night after night now…but it’ll all be over with soon.”
“Well can you get a ticket for her somehow? Because I wouldn’t mind taking care of her during the game…” I suggested
“I might be able to, actually. Would you really do that?” Felix sounded surprised, but I promised that it would be a pleasure. He said he’d try to arrange a way for her to get a seat next to ours, and when I dropped them off at the hotel, I got out held Mia while Felix took her car seat out, then I gave him a hug and handed Mia to him. “I’ll call you before the game and let you know what comes up about the seats.” Felix said and they headed back into their hotel, Mia waving at me until the doors closed behind them. As I got back in the car and headed home, I couldn’t wipe the huge smile off my face. I was so happy that I’d met Felix, and already we were like the closest of friends.
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That evening for the game I dressed in a grey Mariners away jersey with navy Bermudas and white canvas flats. My mom was coming along to this game as she had the night off, and we were parking in the stadium parking garage when my cell phone rang with Molly’s picture on the display.
“Hey, Kellie! Just calling to do some rumor control, I’m getting tons of questions. So what’s going on?” Molly asked when I answered.
I had no idea what she was talking about so, assuming she was referring to the World Series, I replied, “Well, the Mariners won game one, and we’re on our way to game two. What do you mean by rumor control, though?”
“Honey, haven’t you heard? TMZ and all the top gossip sites are reporting that you’re dating Felix Hernandez, that pitcher from the Mariners….” Molly began
“What?” I cried in disbelief. “No! Read me what they wrote!”
“Well, if you insist. TMZ says…’Spotted: Kellie Holt with hunky Venezuelan pitcher Felix Hernandez canoodling at the Phoenix Zoo earlier today. Kellie has been following the Mariners in their World Series games and it seems that along the way she’s caught the eye of the team’s number one pitcher. They’ve reportedly been spending a lot of time together, and today they went to the zoo with Hernandez’s daughter. Onlookers say the couple had lunch in the grass and Kellie even carried the child on her shoulder when she fell asleep at the end of their trip to the zoo. Hernandez is 22, while Kellie is two weeks from turning 19’”.
I sat in silence for a moment. I didn’t even realize that my dad had parked the car and they were all getting out at this point. My dad opened my door and I sort of clambered out. “Molly! No, it’s not true. We’re friends. I just broke up with Andrew, I couldn’t possibly be in a relationship this quickly. That’s ridiculous!”
“That’s what I thought, honey. But I must say, in these pictures he looks like he’s forgotten the rest of the world exists when he looks at you. Are you gonna go for it eventually?” Molly said with a sly tone in her voice
“Oh…no, I haven’t even thought about that. I don’t want a relationship with anyone for a while.” I said, defeated. I felt terrible, mostly for Felix being in the press like this.
“Okay, hon. Well, if you change your mind, you’ve got a captive audience. Have a good night, I’ll let you know how things have played out in the morning.” Molly said, and clicked the phone off.
When I finished up, Megan and my parents were standing by the car waiting for me. “What was that all about?” Megan asked as we walked toward the stadium. I explained what had happened and how I was worried for Felix’s reaction, but they all told m not to worry about it, and Felix wouldn’t mind.
When we got to our seats, Felix was nearby talking to some guys on the team. One of them saw me and nudged him. Felix turned around, spotted me, waved, and walked over. “Hey! How was the rest of your afternoon?” he asked.
“It was pretty mellow, just getting ready. Hey, Felix, I want you to meet my mom, Connie. Mom, this is my friend, Felix.” Felix shook my mom’s hand and when they had exchanged polite words, I said, “Hey, can I talk to you…alone real quick?”
“Sure…” Felix said. He opened up the little door that led between the seats and the field, and we went off to the dugout—all of the players were on the field warming up, so it was nice and quiet.
I sat down on the bench and turned to face Felix, nervously fiddling with the hem of my shorts. “What’s up?” Felix asked
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there’s a lot of gossip websites spreading rumors…it seems someone followed us and took pictures at the zoo, and now they’re everywhere.” I began, feeling worse by the second. Felix was no longer smiling, but he didn’t look angry, which was a definite plus. “I talked to my publicist, and she said that the sites seem to think we’re dating. They’re publishing all these rumors. Well, it doesn’t really worry me to much because I’m used to it…but I don’t want it to harm you or Mia. I mean, her picture is on the internet as well, now.”
Felix smiled and put his hand on mine. “Kellie, don’t even worry about it. It’s just rumors, as you said. I’m not letting it bother me; they can think whatever they want. You’re my friend and I enjoy spending time with you, and I’m not going to let a few nosy people change that.” I smiled weakly, and Felix put a hand under my chin and gently nudged it. “Chin up, show the world that smile.” I stood up and Felix did the same, giving me a big, warm hug.
“Now, I talked to the stadium people and they said that Mia can sit with you, if you still want that. She’ll have to sit on your lap because they can’t get me an empty seat for this game, but for the games in Seattle I’ve arranged for her to get a seat next to you. Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Felix asked as we climbed out of the dugout and back onto the field.
“Yeah! Trust me, I’ll enjoy it. Mia’s a sweetheart. Plus my parents will absolutely adore her, I guarantee.” Felix went off to get Mia and when he brought her back, she once again had two Barbies in hand and squealed with delight when she saw me.
Mia sat on my lap through the entire game, and once in a while we would get up and go for short walks around the stadium when she got a bit bored. The Mariners won in another incredible game, with a final score of 6-5. It was nearly eleven when the game was finally over, and we waited for the fans to file out before getting up. Felix came back out onto the field to get Mia, who was asleep in my lap. He sat down to talk to all of us about the game for a minute, and then carefully took Mia from my arms.
“We’re flying back up to Seattle tomorrow afternoon. I guess I’ll see you at Friday’s game, then?” I whispered before Felix left. He smiled and agreed, and then carried Mia off and we got up and left.
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When game three finally came around that Friday, it was bitterly cold in Seattle, and rather than wearing supportive Mariners clothes, I chose the warmest thing I had packed, a delightful chocolate suede Coach coat with a fur trimmed hood, dark wash wide-leg jeans, and green wellies. Mia traded in her own seat for my lap to keep warm, cuddling into me in her thick pink argyle hoodie, light pink pants, and black polka-dot wellies. At one point I was making silly faces at Mia to keep her entertained when I heard my name being called. I looked around and just to my left, a few feet away, Felix was standing in the corner of the dugout looking over toward us.
“Hey cutie pie, are you getting sleepy?” he asked Mia. She shook her head firmly and Felix and I both laughed. “Okay, just wanted to check. I love you!” he waved to Mia and she waved back, and Felix sank back into the dugout. That game, the Mariners had another win, making it a streak of 10 since their last loss, winning 4-1. After the game Megan and my dad went across the street to a sports bar to celebrate, and I promised to meet them once I’d given Mia back to Felix. But when Felix came out onto the field, Mia was still awake and we ended up talking for forty-five minutes, walking around the perimeter of the field a couple of times.
When Mia finally fell asleep in Felix’s arms, we decided to part for the evening. “Hey, when you’re in Phoenix tomorrow night, do you want to come over to my parents’ house for dinner? We’d love to have you both…” I suggested, indicating the sleeping Mia.
“Yeah, that sounds nice. Call me tomorrow afternoon and let me know what time to come over.” Felix whispered. He was unable to hug me without moving Mia, so he kissed the top of my head and said, “See you tomorrow.”
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The following morning I woke up early to pack up and head to the airport. As we were loading our luggage in to the car waiting in front of the Edgewater, my cell phone beeped with a text message. When we got in the car, I checked it and saw that it was a video message from Molly. I hit the play button to see a young girl standing outside of Safeco Field at night time. She was talking very loud and fast as though she was really excited, and I held it up closer to my ear so I could hear what she was saying.
There was some sort of reporter interviewing her, and the girl was saying, “I was sitting 3 rows behind Kellie at the game tonight. Felix came to the edge of the dugout and was talking to her and then he told her he loves her!”
“And you’re positive he was talking to Kellie…?” the reporter asked.
“Well of course! They’re dating, after all. Who else would he be talking to?!” she spouted.
“Well, I saw Kellie during the game, and she was holding Felix’s daughter, Mia, on her lap. Perhaps he was talking to his daughter?” The reporter asked, staying level-headed and smart.
“No way! That’s his daughter, why would he say that to her? Weird!” the girl giggled.
The reporter turned to the camera and said, “Do I even need to tell you guys to take this one with a grain of salt?” and the video stopped.
When I was finished watching, I started laughing. Megan and my dad had been watching as well, and they both laughed too. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard. He was talking to Mia the entire time, and he told her he loved her. People will say anything for 15 seconds of fame.”
When we got home, we all cleaned up the house and got it ready for dinner with Felix and Mia. Just before 4:30pm, when Felix was going to show up, I dressed in a deep purple draped jersey scoop neck top, a gorgeous black tulle skirt with burnout flowers, and black satin slingbacks. My hair was pulled back with a little black flower pinned in it and I was helping my mom set the table when Felix pulled up in a rental car. I met him and Mia at the door, giving Felix a hug and taking Mia from his arms, spinning her around and hugging her. Mia giggled wildly and when I set her down, she followed us into the house.
Felix and Mia had both dressed up for the dinner as well, which I was glad of as I had contemplated whether to go casual or dressy for quite a while. Felix was wearing charcoal dress pants and a sage dress shirt, and Mia wore an adorable pink dress with white piping and a little bow at the waist, paired with the cutest white peep-toe flats.
“You dress her up so cute!” I said as Mia ran ahead of us.
“Well, her mom picks out all the clothes and sends them to me; I’m not too good at shopping for her. I need help…” Felix said, laughing.
We headed into the kitchen, where my mom was making lasagna and my sister was getting dessert ready. “Megan’s a baker, so dessert should be fantastic tonight…I’ve missed eating her food since I moved to London,” I said. We headed outside where my dad was reading the paper on the patio table, and sat down to talk. Mia was sitting on my lap and after about fifteen minutes she was getting restless, so I left my dad and Felix to talk and brought her inside to find something to entertain her.
When Mia saw the baby grand I’d bought my parents a few years prior, she got excited, so I set her on the bench next to me and she pounded out some lovely little songs by hitting every key she could reach. “Will you play me a song please?” she asked when she was tired out from reaching up to touch the keys.
I started playing the first kid-friendly song that came to mind, “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid. Mia clapped and giggled when I was finished, and when Felix came in and mentioned that she had some toys in the rental car, we went out to find them.
When dinner was ready, we gathered around the patio table and ate the dinner my mom had prepared. Afterwards we sat around and talked for a long time. Megan served dessert and we all swooned over it and ate it right up. When we were finished, it was about 6:30, and Felix said, “I suppose we should go, I’ve got to get some new clothes for Mia tonight and she’s got to be in bed by 8. Where are some good kids stores around here?”
As we got up to see Felix off, I offered to go with him to get the clothes if he wanted. “After all,” I said, “You did say you needed help when shopping for her…”
Felix gladly agreed, thanking me for my willingness to help. Felix strapped Mia into her car seat and we headed over to the Desert Ridge shopping center. It was Saturday night, so the popular outdoor mall was busy and there would likely be a lot of people there that noticed me, as a lot of younger kids and teenagers liked to hang out there, but I didn’t really mind.
“I need to get her some cold-weather clothes; she doesn’t have a lot of that, since it’s so warm in Venezuela, so her mom doesn’t buy that stuff.” Felix explained.
“Okay, I can definitely help with that,” I said, pulling him into Carters, the huge children’s store at the entrance of the mall. We bought her a pink cable knit cardigan, a white track jacket, and a grey hoodie to start out. We headed next door to the Children’s Place and bought an adorable pink twill coat with ruffled hem, a thick navy cable knit sweater, a pink and green rain coat with matching butterfly wellies, and an adorable yellow dress with blue tulle and flowers on it because, as Felix said, he was a pushover when his daughter wanted something cute.
When we finished up, we headed into the main part of the marketplace to get some ice cream, and sat outside by the fountains and the fireplace to eat it. A few kids came over asking me for autographs, which I kindly gave, and I saw one person taking pictures from about ten feet away, not trying to mask it at all, but other than that people left us alone.
By the time we were finished with our ice cream, it was nearly 8, and Mia was getting very sleepy. “Her bedtime is at 8:30, so I guess we should get going,” Felix said, picking Mia up and putting her back in her stroller. We walked back to the car, strapped Mia into her car seat, and headed back to my parents’ house. When we got there, Felix got out and opened my door for me, giving me a warm hug and walking me to the door before going back to his car. I got the strangest feeling in my stomach, almost like butterflies, but I pushed it away quickly as I went inside.
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The following afternoon was game four of the series, and so far the Mariners had snagged an incredible three-game winning streak. If the won this game, they would win the World Series; if not, they’d go on to play at least one more game, if not three. I was dressed in a white Mariners jersey with Felix’s name and number on the back, dark blue cargo capris, and white eyelet low wedges. I’d pulled my hair into a ponytail and was sitting in our front-row seats with Megan, my dad, and Megan’s best friend Stephanie—my mom was in class that night so I brought her along instead—when Felix brought Mia over and stayed to talk for a bit. I introduced him to Stephanie and we all chatted until Miguel and Adrian called Felix over to warm up with them. He wouldn’t be pitching until the next game, but he was constantly practicing in the bullpen to get ready.
Megan and Stephanie went up to get some food, and my dad went to smoke as it was 30 minutes before the game was going to start. I was talking to Mia about Dora the Explorer, her favorite show, when out of the blue, Wladimir Balentien approached us. I looked up and smiled. “Hey, Wladimir. How are you?” I asked politely—I didn’t know him very well, as we’d never really had much of a chance to talk.
“I’m good, girl. How about you?” Wladimir asked. It was strange, the way he said it—his Caribbean accent was almost overshadowed by the tone he was using. I could tell he was attempting to flirt, but that style just didn’t work on me. “Felix tells me you two are just friends, eh? Even though the tabloids think you’re dating?”
I wasn’t sure what to say to that, so I just didn’t reply. At the sound of her father’s name, Mia gasped and looked up. Wladimir glanced down at her. “You like kids a lot, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do,” I said, smiling and patting Mia’s head lightly. “I can’t wait to have kids of my own.”
“You know I’ve got a daughter. She’s five, I bet you’d really like her.”
“Oh, I’m sure she’s adorable. Is she here?” I asked, looking around for a young girl that looked like Wladimir.
“Nah, she lives in Curacao with my parents in the season. We’ve got a house down there that we live in during the off-season. You should come down and stay with us some time, it’s a great island.” Wladimir suggested. I was appalled by his flat-out suggestiveness and the creepy tone he said it in.
I racked my brain for a polite way to turn him down without hurting his feelings. “Oh…um, I have a pretty busy schedule. Not a lot of time to vacation, unfortunately.”
This didn’t seem to faze Wladimir at all. “That’s okay, girl! I’m very flexible.”
“I….” I was at a complete loss for what to say to that, but luckily at that moment John McClaren, the Mariners’ General Manager, called Wladimir over to the dugout.
When Megan, Stephanie, and my dad returned, I told them all about the strange encounter and they all burst out laughing. “I always thought he acted like a total creep…” Megan said.
When the game began we all cheered on the Mariners except for Stephanie, who was a longtime Diamondbacks fan. Megan and I came up with the best witty remarks about the Diamondbacks and the three of us went back and forth joking throughout the whole game.
Whenever Wladimir was up on deck to bat, he would turn, look at me and smile and wink. I managed a kind of awkward wave, and as soon as he made it to the plate we’d all burst out laughing.
The game ended in a 6-5 loss for the Mariners. While it was unfortunate, the team had played incredibly well and we were still quite happy with things, as it meant there would be at least one more game in Seattle. We waited around for Felix to come out and when he did, we talked for a while. John McClaren came out to ask Felix a question, and he ended up becoming engrossed in a conversation with my dad. Megan and Stephanie were sitting and playing with Mia, so I pulled Felix off to the side to talk.
“Wladimir was being really odd tonight,” I began. “He was flirting with me a lot.”
Felix was quiet for a moment, and then said, “Do you…” and paused. I realized that he was wondering whether I was interested in Wladimir.
“Oh…no!” I burst out laughing. “He kind of creeps me out, to be honest. Comes off as a real playboy.”
Felix looked relieved and he smiled once again. The same feeling I’d had the night before fluttered in my stomach, but I ignored it again. “He’s definitely a playboy. He flirts with every pretty girl he sees, and they never last more than a week. Don’t let him fool you.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m pretty level-headed when it comes to smooth talkers like that. Thanks for looking out for me, though!” I gave Felix a warm hug and we headed back to the group, joining their conversation until John excused himself.
“Hey, do you want to go see a movie tomorrow?” Felix asked as we gathered our things to leave.
“Oh sure, that sounds great! It’ll be in Seattle, right? We’re flying up first thing in the morning.”
“Yeah, we’re doing the same. How does 2 o’clock sound, then? Maybe we can grab a bite to eat afterwards.” Felix asked, picking up a very sleepy Mia.
“Wonderful. Call me?” I gave Felix and Mia a hug, and we all waved goodbye and headed home.
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The following morning we woke up very early, said goodbye to my mom, and boarded our jet for Seattle. I slept the entire time on the 2-hour flight so that I would be well-rested for the afternoon with Felix and Mia. When 2 o’clock hit, Felix called to let me know he was in the hotel lobby, as we’d planned earlier that day. I buttoned a navy cashmere cardigan that cut very low and had four buttons at the very bottom over my pale blue tank with a small ribbon and bow at the bust. I’d paired it with a light blue and white asymmetrical-striped skirt that had navy blossoms decorating the hem and brown leather basket-weave sandals with wooden heels.
I headed down to the lobby and was surprised to find Felix without Mia. “Hey!” I said, giving him a hug, “Where’s Mia at?”
“Oh, she’s worn out from all the traveling, so Adrian’s wife offered to watch her for the day.
“Well good, she can rest. What movie are we going to see?” I asked as we headed outside.
Felix opened the door to his Lexus and I climbed in. “I don’t know, it’s up to you. What kind of movies do you like?”
"Oh, I'm up for anything. I love movies. I'd like to see Confessions of a Shopaholic, but that's a total chick-flick, so we can see something else. How about..." I paused, thinking of what was out at the moment.
"We can see that if you'd like, i don't mind if it's a girl movie." Felix said, chuckling.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. Let's go see that." We pulled out of the parking lot and headed to the theatre. When we arrived, Felix bought the tickets and then got us each a drink and some popcorn and candy to share. The movie was a total crack-up and contrary to what i had expected earlier, Felix loved it. When we left the theatre it was nearly 4, and we decided to get an early dinner. We headed to Carmichael's, a cozy Italian restaurant near the theatre, and got a table.
"The people at that table down there are staring at us," Felix announced, amused, as we munched on bread and waited for our dinner to come.
I discreetly turned and glanced over at the table, only to find that they were, in fact, staring straight at us. However, it wasn't simply because they were fans of me or Felix. The family of three was staring because they knew me. The girl was my age, a short blonde with a happy round face, and her parents sat on either side of me. When i glanced over, I made eye contact with the girl and nearly choked on my bread. It was Alena Stover, my friend since we'd gone to kindergarten together. They'd obviously been staring to find out whether it was me they were seeing or not.
"That's my friend!" I said. I tossed my bread on the plate and said, "I've got to say hi. Want to come with?"
Felix and I stood up and headed over to their table. "Alena!" I said, and she jumped up and gave me a squeezing hug.
"We thought it was you over there, but we weren't sure so we just kept staring. How are you?!" Alena asked as i gave a quick hug to Mark and Linda, her parents.
"I'm great! Once we're done going back and forth with the games we're going to stay in Seattle for a few days, and i was going to call to meet up with you. This is my friend Felix..." I said, and Felix waved at each of them, and shook hands with Alena's dad, who looked shocked.
"Felix Hernandez! I'm Mark Stover. Honor to meet you!" Alena's father said excitedly
We chatted for a bit and when our dinner arrived, I promised to call Alena soon and we headed back to our table. When we were done with dinner, Felix drove me back to the hotel, but instead of dropping me off, he parked the car and we walked along the pier for a little while. When the sky turned rosy, Felix decided to go get Mia. He gave me a strong hug and then climbed in his car and left. I stood in front of the hotel for a few minutes in the same place after he'd gone. I could still feel the strenght of his hug. When the wind gave me chills, I hurried inside to warm up.
The following evening was game 5 of the Series, and Felix was to pitch again. I dressed in a dark green empire-waist halter with navy blue straps, the same jacket i'd worn at game one, vintage wash jeans, and blue converse with a bracelet made of the stitching of a baseball and a tiny Mariners' S logo on it. We got dinner before the game and then settled down into our seats. We'd made a habit of showing up earlier than most fans in order to beat the crowds and so Felix could bring Mia over right away.
Mia and I spent the pre-game time playing cute little games and watching Felix warm up. When the National Anthem had been performed by Kenny G, the famous Saxophonist that lived in Seattle, and the first pitch was thrown, I set Mia in her seat and we watched as Felix approached the mound, looking confident and not at all nervous.
Felix pitched a nearly flawless game, giving up only two runs by the top of the ninth inning. The Mariners were ahead with three runs, and we were on the edge of our seats as Felix took the mound, praying that the Diamondbacks didn't score another run. Like clockwork, Felix struck out the first two batters. The third batter was at the plate and I was leaning forward with my elbows on my legs and my chin in my hands, nervous with anticipation.
Felix threw a fastball and the batter hit it into the outfield. We all watched as the ball moved seemingly in slow-motion, soaring down, down, down, until it landed perfectly in Ichiro's glove. I jumped up and pumped my fist in the air excitedly as the rest of the stadium exploded with cheering. Megan and I were jumping up and down excitedly, my dad was clapping so hard I thought his hands would go raw, and Felix was being tackled on the mound by the entire team. I picked Mia up and pointed at her dad.
"Look, honey! Your daddy won! He won the World Series!" I cried, and she clapped and waved at Felix, who was just emerging from the mound. He rushed over to us, gave me a hug, and took Mia from my arms, spinning her around and laughing.
"You did it! You won!" I cried. As fans began jumping over the barrier onto the field, I did the same, followed by Megan and my dad, and we joined the team in their celebration. All of the news stations were there and they were rushing to the field with their cameras and microphones to get in on the action. A reporter from FSN found me in the crowd and asked some quick questions about my feelings on the win.
"It's amazing! I couldn't have hoped for a better series. Everyone on the team worked so hard this season and it just paid off. I've never been so excited!" I said, practically yelling to be heard over the roar around me. I moved on and ran into Adrian’s wife, Sandra, who gave me a big hug.
“We did it!” Sandra cried, jumping up and down excitedly. Their children, Cassandra and Adrian, Jr.—four and two, respectively—were at her feet, clapping excitedly. Sandra gave me one last hug and ran off to celebrate with Adrian.
A moment later I found myself face-to-face with Wladimir once again and, not caring about the wink he had just given me, I gave him a huge hug. I did the same with Ichiro and his wife Yumiko, whom I ran into next.
When the huge party on the field died down, an announcement was made regarding the ceremony which would take place the following evening. The team headed to the clubhouse to celebrate some more and get changed. Out on the field crowds of people began to pour out of the stadium—the Mariners fans were all whooping with joy, singing, and shouting as they left, while the Diamondbacks fans hung their heads and stayed quiet.
Felix had brought Mia back to me before going to the clubhouse, so we all headed down and chilled in the dugout to wait for him. As players came out in pairs and small groups, they’d come over, give us high fives, and would say, “See you at the party!”
Following the ceremony the following evening, the team was holding a super-formal celebration party, with all of Seattle’s famous residents and elite attending. Felix came out of the doorway leading to the clubhouse. Felix was still super excited about the win, and surprised me with a huge hug and spinning me around. I giggled, a little embarrassed and yet very happy.
“Hey, do you guys want to come over to my place? We’re having a big old celebration there.” He asked, picking Mia off the bench where she had been lying down and looking very sleepy.
Megan and I decided we’d go, while my dad chose to stay behind at the hotel and get some sleep. We quickly went back to the hotel to change—I wore a light pink embroidered tunic, brown tights, and pale gold flats with a bow on the front; Megan dressed in a navy blue and maroon madras plaid cotton dress with a light yellow cardigan with very pretty shell sandals. We caught a cab and gave the driver the address of Felix’s house that was just outside of Seattle.
When we arrived, there were a bunch of cars out front and we paid the driver and headed inside. As we walked up the path, I stopped Megan. “So…I need to tell you something. I think…I think I have feelings for Felix.” I said the last part in a whisper.
“Well, that’s no surprise…You guys became like best friends in a week and a half. There’s got to be some chemistry there.” Megan said, laughing.
“But…well, I didn’t have any feelings for him up until the other night when we went shopping for Mia.” I said. We were standing just in front of the doorstep at this point.
“Kellie, it’s obvious that Felix likes you. Just drop a hint or two and if he’s smart, he’ll pursue you” Megan said, patting me on the shoulder and adding, “Now let’s get inside, I’m freezing!”
Just as we turned towards the door, it swung open and Felix was standing just inside. The lights from his front room flooded outside. “Oh, hey! I thought I heard voices,” He said, giving me and Megan each a hug. We followed Felix inside where there was music playing and a crowd of people. Most of the partygoers were Mariners players and their friends or family; there were, to my surprise, a few Diamondbacks as well—probably friends of the guys on the Mariners that wanted to wind down after the grueling series.
Felix showed us around, indicating the alcohol and food in the kitchen and the video games in the living room, where Yuniesky and Eric Bedard were competing in Wii Tennis. Miguel was mixing drinks for himself and a friend, and he offered to make drinks for me and Megan as well. A moment later Miguel handed me an Apple Martini and Megan Rum and Coke, and we went off to see who else was at the party.
The party lasted for a few more hours, and by the end we were both a bit tipsy. As people began heading home, I got my phone out to call a cab, but Felix stopped me. “It’s okay, I’ll give you a ride.” He said, putting his arm around my shoulder and walking with me and Megan to the garage, where his car was sitting. “I’ll be right back,” he added. Felix returned a moment later with a sleeping Mia in his arms. He strapped her in next to me in the back seat and began the drive to the harbor.
When we got to our hotel, Felix opened the door for Megan and then for me. I was pleased to see that he treated Megan with as much respect as he did for everyone else he encountered, offering to walk us both up to the hotel. Megan said she was okay, and headed in while I stayed out to talk to Felix for a moment.
“So…now that the series over, are you guys going back to Phoenix?” Felix asked, leaning against his car.
“No, we’re staying the rest of the week, actually. We’re going back the night before my birthday.” I said. “I think I’m going to spend a day looking for a place to live here. Do you know any good neighborhoods in the city?”
“Sure…why don’t I go with you?” Felix suggested.
We agreed to do so, and Felix hugged me before I went inside. “I’ll see you at the ceremony tomorrow, then. And the party afterwards, I can’t wait for that.”
I headed inside, glancing back once to see Felix still leaning against his car, watching me walk inside. My heart leapt and I smiled as I made my way through the lobby to the elevator.
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The following evening after dinner we set out from our hotel for the World Series ceremony at Safeco Field. It was going to be quite casual, but I also had my hair and makeup done up for the party that would be following shortly after, so I dressed in a white floaty bubble hem skirt, a navy blue embroidered t-shirt, a deep pink cardigan, and gold cutout flats. I had my hair done up in a chic updo with two braids and a messy bun, so it would easily go from casual to dressy in the transition. We got to the stadium and were led down to the field for the special “VIP” section near where the players sat. I found Felix and offered to watch Mia during the ceremony, which he gladly agreed to.
When everyone settled in, the ceremony began. Each player was awarded their World Series Champion rings, John McClaren was given the World Series trophy, and Ichiro was named MVP for the team and given a brand new car. When the ceremony was over, fans started pouring out of the stadium and we stayed behind with the team ad the other VIP guests. There were a few party buses that would bring us over to the venue for the party, but we had to change first. The guys on the team were already dressed up for the ceremony so they all went ahead in the first bus along with those who had dressed up in the first place. The rest of us headed to the clubhouse to change in there.
I slipped into a beautiful metallic taffeta dress of foiled gold and silver, which I paired with gold Prada croc print D’orsay pumps, a necklace with a large clear crystal pendant, and an intricate gold and diamond ring. I met up with Megan, who had changed into a pretty purple draped chiffon dress, black satin round-toe pumps, and diamond and black onyx drop earrings. When my dad came out in a well-cut suit, we headed outside to get on the next bus to the venue.
There was, to my surprise, a red carpet outside of the venue for the party, with photographers from local newspapers and magazines, and reporters from the news stations lining the way. We walked along it and posed for a bit, and then headed inside to join the rest of the group. The setting was intimate and fun, and everyone looked brilliantly good. Yumiko wore a sexy little Proenza Schouler dress complete with a signature bustier top, and I loved watching her dance with Ichiro, who couldn’t keep his eyes off her.
“Hey, Kellie! Over here!” I heard my name and turned to see Sandra with a few other players’ wives, beckoning for us to join them. My dad went off to talk to Erik Bedard, and Megan and I sat down on one of the couches with the girls. We all chatted for a little while and had drinks, enjoying the music and the exciting atmosphere. Soon a woman came over and said something to Sandra, who got a shocked look on her face. “Michelle just said that Paris Hilton is on the red carpet. I don’t believe it!” she announced.
Curious as to whether the rumor was true, Sandra, Yumiko, and Megan and I split from the group and made our way out toward the red carpet. Sure enough, there was a tall blond girl with a longish bob wearing a short black zebra-print halter dress meant for a club and lime green pumps. She was working the cameras like a pro in front of true paparazzi, and when she turned to get a different angle, I saw her face. It was Paris Hilton! I gasped.
“What is she doing here?” I asked as we all headed back inside.
“I don’t know, but I am not happy. She wasn’t invited…and she looks like a tramp!” Sandra sputtered, taking a glass of champagne from a server’s tray.
When Paris got inside, we watched from afar as she danced club-style on the dance floor when even the slightest upbeat tune was on. Dave Matthews, a long time Seattle resident, approached me when I went up to the bar to get a drink.
“Hey,” He said casually, sticking out a hand to shake mine, “I’m Dave, nice to meet you.”
“Hey, Dave! I’m Kellie.” I said, shaking his hand.
“I can’t believe Paris Hilton came to this party…” Dave said, indicating the heiress as she canoodled with a friend she had brought along.
“I know! I mean, did her limo driver take a wrong turn and end up in Seattle?” I joked as the bartender took my glass to mix another apple martini.
“What baffles me the most is that it appears she actually flew up here just for this party. Judging from the looks on just about everybody here, she’s not welcome, either.”
“I know the ladies I’m talking to are pretty pissed. They expected this nice, elegant party to celebrate winning the Series, and she showed up ready for a Hollywood club.”
I chatted with Dave for a few minutes, mostly making jokes about Paris being at the party, and then headed back to the couches where the girls were talking about Paris as well. “Oh, don’t let her ruin your whole night! She’s probably just in some sort of party circuit and she’ll be out of here before you know it.” I said, trying to reason with them as they shot dirty looks in her direction and made sure she went nowhere near their husbands or boyfriends.
A reporter from the lifestyle section of the Seattle Times approached us to ask about what was now being called the ‘Paris Scandal’. “Kellie, what do you think about Paris Hilton showing up to this party?” She asked.
I knew the reporter was hoping to get a rude comment that would gain her column attention from the big gossip magazines, so I simply said, “Uh…no comment,” And smiled.
Sandra scooted over next to me and said, “I’ve got a comment, honey. I helped plan this party, and we put a lot of work and a lot of money into making it elegant, sophisticated, and exclusive. Then Paris Hilton shows up in her skimpy little club dress and whores it up on the dance floor, making this party look like everything we’ve tried to avoid. Are the newspapers going to focus on the celebration we had for the Mariners winning the World Series, and the supportive, wonderful people that showed up to celebrate? No! They’re going to talk all about Paris Hilton partying in Seattle, and they’re going to show her skimpy little child-sized dress, and that’s going to make this look like any one of those skanky Hollywood clubs. She should have just stayed in LA rather than go where nobody wants to see her.”
When she finished, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, here’s what I’ll say about all of this,” I said, “I’ve met Paris once before and she seems like a nice girl. But I think that it was very impolite to show up uninvited at this party and treat it like any other nightclub. I’m not going to let it ruin the great time I’m having, though, and I don’t think anyone else should, either.”
The reporter, glad to hear my opinion and very happy to have the hilarious quote from Sandra, thanked us and moved along. I could see her across the club a while later interviewing Dave Matthews, and I could tell he was cracking a joke about it because she was laughing as she held the tape recorder up.
At one point in the evening, I was returning to the group after using the restaurants, weaving my way through the crowd and stopping to chat with a few people along the way. I was talking to Adrian and telling him what Sandra had said when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to find Felix standing behind me, and a flashing thought reminded me that this was how we had first met—I was talking to Miguel before game one when Felix approached to talk to me.
“Hey, I’ve only got about an hour before I’ve got to take Mia home, and I haven’t really talked to you all night,” he said, smiling. I could see Mia a few feet away, wearing the yellow and blue party dress Felix bought for her when we went shopping. She was perched on a couch with Adrian and Sandra’s kids, drinking a cup of juice and playing Barbies with Cassandra.
I followed Felix over to a couch a few feet away from them and sat down with him. “Looks like Wladimir found someone who actually likes his flirting, so you shouldn’t have to worry about him anymore…” Felix laughed, indicating Wladimir, who was dancing close with Paris on the dance floor a few feet away.
I laughed when I saw the two of them. “They’re perfect for each other!” I said. A waiter offered us champagne, and Felix took two flutes, handing one to me.
“I’ve really enjoyed having you around the past couple weeks…” Felix began as I sipped on the champagne. “Mia has, too. You’re….you’re a great girl.” He looked a bit wistful as he said that, and my stomach churned once again.
“Well I’ve liked hanging out with you, too. But I’m not leaving until Friday, and even then it won’t be forever. I’ll be back for good when I’m done in London.”
“Have you talked to that guy that cheated on you?” Felix asked, and immediately looked as though he regretted it. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that…” he added
“No, it’s okay. I haven’t talked to him; I just want to take some time and not worry about him. When I go back to London I guess we’ll talk, but there’s not much to talk about. I mean, he cheated on me and lied to me, and there’s no way I’d take him back after that.” I said
“Definitely…you deserve better.” Felix agreed. One song ended, and “So Close” by John McLaughlin started up. “Would you like to dance?” Felix asked, standing up. I nodded, swallowing the gulp of champagne I’d just taken. Felix took my glass and set it on the table with his, then took my hand and led me out onto the floor. I didn’t mind that there were photographers nearby—they were mostly focused on Paris and Wladimir, and if they got a shot of this moment I might even be happy, because it was so wonderful. After a little bit of formal slow dancing, I leaning into Felix and he wrapped his strong arms around me. I rested my chin on his shoulder and after a moment, Felix began to softly sing along with the song, so that every time he said a word I could feel it ruffle my hair and drift into my ear.
When the song came to an end, I closed my eyes, not wanting to break apart from Felix. However, as everyone else on the dance floor did so, Felix unwrapped his arms from my waist and I pulled away. He smiled, and there was a hint of sadness in his eyes as we left the dance floor and returned to the couch.
A half hour later, Felix decided that it was time to leave, as Mia was getting a bit cranky. He picked her up and kissed me on the cheek before heading out to get a cab. Felix was five feet away when I said, “Felix?” I wasn’t sure what I was going to say, but when he turned around, I paused for a moment. Finally I gave up and simply announced, “We’re looking at apartments tomorrow, in case you still want to come…”
“Yeah, sure! I’ll call you in the morning.” He said. Mia waved, bleary-eyed, and Felix turned around and left.
-------------------------------------------
The next morning I woke up, got breakfast in the downstairs restaurant, and got ready for the day. I curled my hair and pinned up in a chic loose bun, and dressed in a black pencil skirt, a black and white floral print blouse, and black sequined Louboutin pumps. Felix had called and we planned to meet for lunch and then meet with the real estate agent I’d contacted. Megan and my dad decided to go to a movie because, according to Megan, “You and Felix could use all the alone time you can get…”
I put on a black Burberry trench to guard myself against the rain, and caught a cab to the restaurant where we were meeting. Felix was waiting just inside the door of the restaurant, holding Mia. He set her down when I walked in and pulled me into a warm hug. I felt so safe and happy, and when we parted, Mia, hugged my leg. She looked adorable in the pink coat we’d picked out for her, dark brown leggings, and gold flats.
After a quick lunch, Felix strapped Mia in her stroller and we walked down the street to meet the real estate agent, James, in front of the first apartment. After four different apartments, we came upon a gorgeous top-floor loft with exposed brick walls and incredible hardwood floors. The entire street-facing wall was made completely of glass, and it was in a trendy building called “The Banner Building”. After an extensive tour of the apartment and the facilities offered in the building, I made an offer and signed to get the apartment in the beginning of January.
We thanked James for his help and left, taking one last look at the glass-front building that I would soon be living in. “I bet it’s beautiful at night,” Felix suggested.
“Well, I guess I’ll find out when I move in!” I said, smiling. It began to rain, and Felix put the hood over Mia’s stroller and we ran across the street to get to his car. Felix drove me back to the hotel and when we got there, he got out to open my door.
“Well, I’ve got a lot going on in the next few days, so I don’t know if I’ll get the chance to see you again before you leave…” Felix said, sounding truly sad about that. “I’m gonna miss having you around. You’re so fun to be with…and Mia loves you. Can I call you in London some time?”
“Of course! I’ll let you know before I move here, too, and we can hang out. You’re a great friend, Felix. Just because I’m leaving for a few months doesn’t mean I’ll forget about you.” I gave felix a huge hug.
“Good luck talking to Andrew. Just be strong and tell him how you feel about what he did. If he’s even half a man he’ll just take it and realize he’s an ass.” Felix kissed the top of my head, hugged me one last time, and then I turned and walked back into the hotel. I was extremely sad to leave him and Mia—we’d only known each other for two weeks, but Felix felt like a best friend. I knew I had to get things straightened out with Andrew and take a little time on my own before getting into a new relationship, but I hoped that when I moved back to Seattle, Felix would still like to hang out with me, and maybe then things would go further.
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A week later I was getting off my plane in Heathrow, only half glad to be back in London. I was now another year older—that’s nearly two years I’d spent living in London, with three films out of the way and another one halfway done. I’d barely spent any time in London being single, which I sort of regretted. When I’d first moved to London I was dating Derek, a friend from school in Arizona. We broke up after a month and shortly after I was with Robert Pattinson. A week after breaking up with him Rupert confessed his feelings, and after a year of dating I’d had that short, superficial relationship with James followed by a couple weeks of dating Andrew.
I was glad to have the next few months in London to clear my head, stay single, and figure things out. That way when I moved to Seattle, I’d be ready to see Felix and decide if a relationship was a good idea. I headed out of the airport where Carmen was waiting, having already picked up my bag. “Welcome back!” she said, giving me a hug.
We headed back to my house and I was feeling exhausted and ready to get some sleep. However, when the car pulled up in front of my house, I clambered out, took the luggage the driver handed me, and headed inside with Carmen. She had offered to help me get the luggage upstairs before heading home, but when we got inside I was immediately greeted by an abundance of streamers, balloons, and a huge crowd of people yelling, “Surprise!”
When things had settled down and Dan and Rupert had pulled my luggage upstairs, I found Nicole, Savannah, and Karigan in the living room. I was a bit underdressed compared to everyone in their dresses and skirts, as I had worn a yellow v-neck t-shirt, a dark purple hoodie, light jeans and grey and yellow flats on the plane, but I didn’t want to head upstairs to change just yet.
“So were you surprised?” Nicole asked when I sat down with them and cracked open a beer.
“Definitely! I can’t believe you guys pulled this together without me finding out!” I said. I went upstairs to change, and the girls came with to help me pick something out.
“Oh my gosh, I heard about Paris Hilton showing up at that party…was everybody really pissed?” Nicole asked as we walked upstairs.
“Yeah! My friend Sandra was so angry. All of the women were watching their husbands and boyfriends, too. I met Dave Matthews and we spent like ten minutes just making fun of her. But in the end I was okay with it, because Wladimir Balentien would not stop hitting on me, but when she showed up they were like attached at the hip all night and he hasn’t bothered me since.” I said, laughing.
“So, is it true you’re dating Felix Hernandez?” Savannah asked as I pulled open the door to my closet.
“No….No!” I added, laughing, as they gave me skeptical looks. “Listen, we’re just friends. He’s really great…and I’m definitely interested, but right now I need to just be single for a while.”
I picked out a yellow ombre dress with sparkling paillettes and little yellow feathers at the bottom, which I slipped on and paired with silver peep-toe pumps. “Well, you sure got really close really fast, or at least according to the tabloids. There were pictures of you guys together doing everything!” Karigan said, picking a gold cocktail ring with a large amber stone out of my jewelry box and handing it to me.
“Yeah…you were going to the zoo with his daughter, shopping, seeing movies, going to restaurants….and the list goes on!” Nicole said.
“Well…we clicked really quickly, and we just became really great friends.” I explained as I pulled my hair out of the ponytail, combed my fingers through the curls, and slicked on some lip gloss. “His daughter is so precious, too. He just broke up with his longtime girlfriend, Mia’s mother, and he gets her in the off-season for now, so he’s just getting used to taking care of her all on his own, and I was helping him out a bit.”
“Well, promise you’ll tell us all about him when you get time, okay?” Savannah said.
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Before I knew it, November had come and gone and we were halfway through December. It was nearing another Christmas, and I was helping the girls decorate the house while packing to head home. We were all flying back to Phoenix together in two days and were staying for Christmas and the New Year, though we hadn’t decided what to do on New Year’s Eve.
“I wish we could go to Mexico…but it’s just not safe!” Karigan said, curling up on the couch in pajama pants and a thick cardigan. I passed her a mug of frothy cappuccino and sat on the couch next to her. We had planned on driving down to Rocky Point to hang out on the beach and bring in the New Year in a pool with Margaritas. However, a recent increase in violence against Americans—especially celebrities—vacationing in Mexico had made us choose otherwise.
“We should go to Seattle! I’ve always wanted to do the New Year’s Eve party in the Space Needle—and we can stay in your new apartment, can’t we?” Savannah asked, wrapping up in a cashmere blanket.
“Well, I don’t officially get the apartment until January 1, but I can call James and see what he can do…” I checked the time—it was 4pm, so it would be 8am in Seattle. I waited an hour and the called him.
When I got off the phone with James, I ran into the kitchen where Nicole and Karigan were making dinner. “Okay, James got me the apartment a couple days early! We can go up there for New Year’s Eve!” I announced excitedly.
A week later we were awake very early in the morning, getting ready to head to the airport. It was two days before Christmas Eve and would likely be incredibly busy at the airport, so I had chosen to charter a jet out of a nearby private airport instead. We put our luggage outside and the limo driver that was picking us up loaded it all into the trunk.
“It’s freezing!” Karigan said, shivering as we walked out on the tarmac of the airport toward the private jet. We climbed on board, settled in, and took off. I ended up falling asleep about an hour in and I slept for four hours. When I woke up, the girls had mixed some drinks and were telling stories and laughing.
“Hey! Did you sleep well?” Savannah asked, handing me a vodka cranberry, “We just woke up about 20 minutes ago and we figured we’d need this to keep us sane for the rest of the flight.” We spent the next few hours drinking and childhood, telling funny stories, and making plans for our trip to Seattle.
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Christmas day came and went, and a few days later I headed to Scottsdale Fashion Square with the girls to pick out dresses to wear on New Year’s Eve. After having lunch at Kona Grill, we headed to BCBG. While we were looking around at the pretty cocktail dresses, Karigan said, “Hey, Kellie, you are going to invite Felix to hang out with us on New Year’s Eve, right?”
“Oh…well I hadn’t really thought about it. I thought it was just going to be the four of us.” I said, pulling a soft yellow taffeta dress with flowers on the hem from a rack and handing it to Karigan, saying, “Try this on!”
“Well it’s the four of us, but there’ll be a ton of other people there, too,” Savannah said. “Just tell him we’ll be there and if he’s interested he can join us. Tell him to bring a friend, it’ll be less awkward.”
“Yeah, and if it’s a baseball player friend, he’ll probably be hot, so we definitely won’t mind!” Karigan chimed in, laughing.
Nicole took my phone from me, dialed Felix’s number, and handed it to me. “Do it!” She said, and all three of them gathered around to watch me.
When Felix answered, I could hear Mia crying in the background. “Hello?” he asked, sounding a bit distressed.
“Hey, Felix, it’s Kellie!” I said.
“Oh, hey! I didn’t really have time to look at my phone so I didn’t realize it was you. What’s up?”
“I’m just hanging out with my friends. Hey, is this a bad time? I can call back later…”
“No, it’s fine. Mia just lost her teddy bear so I’m trying to find it for her and she’s really upset. How are you?” Felix and I had talked a lot since I’d gone back to London, calling each other about once a week. I hadn’t talked to him in the past week, though, so he didn’t know I was planning on being in Seattle.
“Well, I just wanted to let you know I’m going to be in Seattle later this week. My friends and I are flying up to spend New Year’s Eve there…”
“Really? Well that’s awesome. We should hang out if you’ve got some extra time.”
“Well I thought I’d let you know, we’re going to that party they have in the Space Needle, and I just thought…well, if you don’t have any plans, you should join us.”
There was a pause, and Mia stopped crying. “Sorry…just had to give her a cookie, and she’s happy now. Anyway, I don’t have any plans, actually. I’ll see if I can get a babysitter for Mia, but if I can I’d love to go.”
“Oh, great! Well, bring a friend or something if you want. It’ll be me and three of my friends.”
When I hung up with Felix, the girls were all beaming. “He said yes, then?” Nicole asked.
“He said if he can get a babysitter for Mia he’d like to come.” I said, herding them into the fitting room to try on the dresses we had picked.
Two days later we landed in SeaTac in the private jet I’d hired for the trip. We gathered our luggage and headed out to get a cab. We had to make a quick stop at James’s office to get the keys to my apartment, and then we headed straight over to the Banner Building. I excitedly slid my key into the lock, turned it, and opened the door to reveal a beautiful, empty apartment.
“Oh…my…gosh!” Nicole said as we walked in and dropped our luggage in the entryway. “This is incredible!”
We looked around and excitedly planned for how I’d decorate it, but it was soon obvious that there was a huge problem. “Where are we going to sleep?” Savannah asked as we stood in front of the window looking out at the beautiful harbor view. We quickly decided that a trip to Target would be necessary before we got ready for the party. We headed to the nearest one and picked up four air mattresses and a bunch of blankets and pillows to keep warm, as well as a few other things that would be necessary over the next few days.
When we got back to the apartment, we set up camp and started to get ready for the party. I showered and did my hair in voluptuous curls, then shaved, plucked, and painted my nails. When it was time to get serious, I did my makeup with bronze eyes and lightly flushed cheeks, and went in my room to get dressed. I slipped into the gorgeous little Blumarine dress I’d found—it was a blush pink shirred silk strapless dress with rosettes on the bust—and paired it with gold strappy sandals.
Savannah was wearing a beautiful pale pink silk chiffon dress that was gathered at the bust, paired with tall silver sandals, and her hair was curled and pinned half back. Karigan had bought the yellow BCBG dress I’d pointed out to her, and she had her hair down in loose waves and was wearing black heels with a beautiful Swarovski crystal swirl design on the sandal. Nicole was wearing a hot little number, a pink and orange panther-print chiffon dress that had draping at the V bust, which she paired with patent camel strappy stilettos, her hair curled and pinned up.
We headed out into the freezing winter air, wrapped in wool coats and wishing we had worn thick tights and boots. There was a car waiting outside that took us straight to the Space Needle, and we rode the elevator up, up, up until we reached the top. The doors slid open to reveal a room full of people dressed up, drinking champagne and eating hors d’oeuvres. We found a low suede sofa and sat down, taking glasses of champagne from a nearby server. We sat and talked for a bit, and after about fifteen minutes, Felix showed up with two friends.
“Hey, Felix!” I said, standing up to hug him.
“Hey. Wow, you look beautiful!” Felix said, holding my hand out and looking at me.
“Aw, thanks! So do you, it’s great to see you! Hey, these are my friends—Savannah, Nicole, and Karigan. Girls, this is Felix” I said, introducing the three of them.
Felix said hello to each of them and then indicated his two friends. “These are my friends Yung Chi Chen and Brian LaHair.”
I recognized them both as minor league players for the Mariners. We all sat down and talked for a little while, and soon Yung was standing up, offering to get us drinks. Felix and Brian joined him, and when they had gone, Nicole and Savannah scooted in to get close to me and Karigan.
“Brian is so cute!” Karigan cried, giggling.
“Oh my gosh, so is Yung! I love me some Asian boys!” Nicole added with a laugh.
“Aww, how perfect! I’ve got two single friends, and Felix brought two single friends to match up with you guys!” I said.
“Not to mention he can not stop looking at you!” Savannah added. I blushed, but when we saw the guys coming back through the crowd, we changed the topic to the lovely view of the harbor.
Felix handed me a cosmopolitan and Savannah a Grey Goose martini, then sat down next to me. We talked about my new apartment for a while. “Man, when I move here it’s going to take a lot of work to move in. When we got to the apartment today, we had to go to Target to get air mattresses and some food, but there’s really not much there at all right now.” I said, sipping on my drink.
“Well, if you need any help, you know where to find me.” Felix said. He stood up and held out his hand, saying “Come with me.” I took his hand and followed him away from the group, towards the huge windows providing a view of the starry city lights and the dark, sparkling water of the sound.
We stood taking in the view for a minute without talking, and then Felix pointed out on the horizon and said, “One day…none of this will be ours.”
I couldn’t help it; I burst out laughing at the unexpected turn in the mood. Felix laughed, too. “I wish I could promise the world to Mia. I think she’d like me a lot more if I acted out scenes from Lion King.”
We both laughed and then headed over to find some food. After eating a few salmon puffs and finishing off our drinks, Felix brought our glasses over, set them on the bar, and took my hand. “Would you like to dance?” he asked, leading me out onto the floor, where everyone was getting down to a fun, upbeat song.
A while later we were all back at the couch. Nicole and Yung had spent a lot of time dancing, and Karigan and Brian were off in their own corner of the couch, heads close together as they talked quietly, and once in a while Karigan would cry out, “Let’s dance!” and lead him out onto the floor.
“All right, you guys, it’s just about time for the countdown to midnight, so grab a drink to toast and that someone special and let’s get ready for 2009!” the hostess called out over a microphone. We all stood up, a server handed us each a glass of champagne, and we waited for the 20-second mark to hit before counting down. I was standing very close to Felix, with Savannah on my other side; Karigan and Brian were getting ready to toast together, and Yung actually had his hand around Nicole’s waist.
“Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three!” I turned and smiled at Felix, glad to go into the New Year with him and three of my best friends. “Two! One! HAPPY NEW YEAR!” Everyone cried out at once. Nicole and Yung as well as Karigan and Brian were actually kissing. Felix kissed my forehead and said, “Happy New Year. I’m glad I brought in the New Year with you.” Then we toasted and drank our champagne.
A little while later we decided it was time to leave the party, which was getting dull, but we weren’t quite ready to head home for good. In the end I invited the guys to hang out with us at my apartment. They agreed—Felix was going to pick Mia up from the babysitter and would bring her over, as she could sleep in one of the bedrooms. The four of us got in a cab, while Felix, Brian, and Yung climbed in another one. I asked the driver to take us to my building, and on the way we talked about our evening.
“So, you two got friendly with the boys real fast!” Savannah said, laughing.
“Well, I’ve always wanted to kiss into the New Year with someone!” Nicole said, blushing slightly, “And Yung is so sweet!”
“I just wanted to kiss Brian, mostly.” Karigan said bluntly, and we all laughed.
“Well, what about you and Felix? Did you kiss or anything?” Nicole asked
“Not really. He kissed my forehead and we hugged and then we toasted. It was a pretty platonic kiss, though. We did dance a lot, though, and it was really nice.” I said, smiling.
“What about when you guys went to look at the view? You looked pretty cozy!” Savannah reminded me
“Oh, yeah! No, we were looking out at the view and Felix made a joke about the Lion King. You know, like ‘One day, none of this will be ours’ and how Mia would like him a lot more if he could act out scenes from Lion King. I guess you had to be there…” I added when they didn’t find it nearly as funny as I had.
When we got to my apartment, I set out the food we had bought earlier in case anyone was hungry, and then put out some pillows for us to sit on, but there truly wasn’t much there. Still, the low lighting and the hardwood floors made it really nice and cozy.
There was a knock on the door and Savannah opened it up to let the guys in. Felix came in first, holding Mia who was fast asleep in his arms. He was followed by Yung and Brian, who were carrying bottles of alcohol and a case of beer (the contrast was stunning!). I smiled and quietly pointed Felix toward the bedroom door, and grabbed a pillow and some blankets and followed him. I had already inflated one of the air mattresses so Felix could put Mia on it, and I silently helped him make the bed. Then I remembered when we had talked on the phone the other day, and hurried over to my suitcase to find the stuffed Walrus I had packed.
“This is for her,” I whispered, placing it next to Mia carefully. I followed Felix out of the room and Nicole and Karigan were setting all the food and alcohol into the center of the circle of pillows and blankets. Brian was teaching Savannah how to mix drinks, and she made us all martinis, excited at her new skill. We excused ourselves to change into something more comfy, as we were still wearing our party dresses, and I followed the girls into the bathroom (luckily it was a very large one and we all fit comfortably).
“Okay, I’m changing into pajamas, but they have to be cute, still. No grubby sweats!” Karigan said, laughing. I changed into a navy blue lace-trim cotton cami and grey sweats; Karigan picked a cute pink and white print trapeze cami with a bow and black lounge pants. Nicole changed into a cobalt blue scallop-trim cami and grey capri sweats, while Savannah wore a soft grey cotton scoop-neck t-shirt and light pink pants.
We gathered around on the pillows and drank and talked for a few hours, even taking the occasional shots of Smirnoff Ice. I didn’t remember much after my third martini and my fourth shot, but I woke up the next morning on an air mattress, covered in some very warm blankets. The sun was flooding in the apartment as there were no blinds or curtains on any windows, so I couldn’t fall back asleep though it was only 9am. I sat up and looked around, rubbing my face and pulling my fingers through my hair to fix it.
Felix and Brian were sitting on counters in the kitchen drinking coffee, and when I stood up, Felix said, “Good Morning…how do you feel?”
“Uh…I feel like my head is going to explode. You?” I asked as Brian poured a cup of coffee and handed it to me.
“Yeah, we feel the same. I couldn’t sleep any more, though.” Brian said.
“Do you guys have any plans for today?” Felix asked
Just as I was about to reply, the bedroom door swung open and Mia padded out, looking sleepy and carrying the stuffed walrus and her favorite blanket.
“Morning, sweetheart!” Felix said, hopping down from the counter and picking her up. He spun her around once and then brought her into the kitchen.
“Kellie!” she cried when she saw me, spreading her arms out. “Daddy, Kellie!”
Felix brought her over and set her on the counter next to me. I gave Mia a hug and she held out her walrus for me. “Kellie brought you that Walrus, Mia.” Felix explained. She giggled happily and leaned her head against me, playing with her Walrus. Felix sat across from us on the counter, watching us with a heart-warming, happy smile. We made eye contact, but we quickly looked away and I felt my face get warm.
When Yung, Savannah, Nicole, and Karigan woke up and had coffee and aspirin, we decided to go out to lunch. Felix, Mia, Yung, and Brian all headed home to get changed. The four of us took turns showering and got ready, and an hour later we headed out to meet the guys and Mia for lunch.
I pulled my hair into a ponytail with my bangs swept to the side and looked in my suitcase for something to wear. I picked out a very pale pastel purple circle skirt, a pink cotton cami under a mint green thin striped button-down with short rolled-up sleeves, and brown leather basket-weave sandals with wooden heels.
I could tell Nicole and Karigan were dressing cute for the boys. Nicole came out of the bathroom in a pretty bright jade blue cotton peasant blouse with eyelet decoration, white cargo capris, and jade stone embellished flat sandals. Karigan was wearing a pretty white cami with ruffles at the hem, dark denim capris, a light pink cropped cardigan, an aqua big bead bracelet, and gold croc peep-toe pumps. Savannah was wearing a white empire-waist cardigan with lilac embroidery and satin trim, a black cardigan, dark denim skinny jeans, black pumps with silver toes, and silver circle earrings with geometric diamante shapes in them.
We grabbed our purses and headed out to meet the guys for lunch. They were waiting outside to meet us, and I picked Mia up, hugging her and spinning her around. I carried her inside, walking with Felix, and he said, “I like your ring…” indicating my right hand.
“Oh, thanks!” I was wearing a vintage silver ring with four purple diamonds in a rectangle and intricate silver detailing. “This was actually from a film I did. When I was in The Great Gatsby, this was the wedding ring my character wore, and it was given to me as a gift at the end of filming.”
We spent the entire afternoon together. After lunch, we headed down to the harbor and walked around, taking pictures and stopping in all of the shops. We finally split up after having spent the past two hours watching The Office on DVD at Yung’s apartment. When we were getting ready to head back to the apartment, we all hugged and said goodbye. We were leaving first thing in the morning and heading straight back to London. I gave Felix a hug which lingered longer than those I had given to Brian and Yung.
“So promise you’ll call me before you move up here? I’ll help you move in if you need.” Felix said.
“Absolutely. When do you report to Peoria?” I asked. Pitchers always reported a week or two before the rest of the team for Spring Training to start training early.
“It’s the first week of February. Will you be here before that?” he asked as we headed out of the apartment—the guys offered to walk down with us to make sure we got a cab okay.
“Oh, I don’t know. I won’t know for sure when we wrap for a week or so, and then I’ve got to pack up my things. But I’m taking a break for a while, so maybe I’ll head down to Phoenix and see a few games with my dad for Spring Training. I’ve missed being there for training.”
I gave Mia and Felix one last hug and said goodbye to the guys, and we got in the cab and headed home.
-------------------------------
When we got back to London the following evening, we were still talking about how much we’d enjoyed the trip. “Brian was so great. He asked for my phone number and said he wouldn’t mind calling me once in a while despite the long distance fees.” Karigan swooned
“Yung asked for my number, too! He’s so wonderful. He’s from Taiwan, but he said he loves to travel and that he wants to visit London some day soon.” Nicole exclaimed.
“Well, I’m just glad to be back so I can see Tom! It was like, Nicole and Yung. Karigan and Brian. Kellie and Felix. I was the total 7th wheel!” Savannah joked, adding, “But you guys were normal about it so I didn’t feel left out at all.”
“Felix totally loves you, Kellie!” Karigan announced when we were unpacking our suitcases and settling back in at home. “He has this way of looking at you, like he’s totally smitten.”
I blushed, disappearing into my room so they wouldn’t see it. I spent the rest of the night avoiding the topic of Felix. I was already wishing I could just stay in Seattle, but at the same time I had no idea whether anything would actually come of our friendship besides, well, friendship!
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When we got back to set from our holiday break, everyone was motivated to get finished, but also reluctant to actually be done for good. While we waited to be called to set, Bonnie and I gathered in Katie’s dressing room.
“Tomorrow is my last day of filming, guys.” Katie announced. Bonnie and I were flipping through a tabloid and giggling at the funny pictures, but suddenly we stopped.
“You’re done already?” I asked, closing the magazine.
“I think it just set in how close we are to being done forever…” Bonnie said sadly.
We all hugged and reminisced about when we had first met. “I was so nervous to meet you guys—I thought you were going to be total divas and everything. I had no idea you’d be so awesome.”
The following day we threw a goodbye party for Katie and the other cast members that would be leaving that week. When we wrapped for the day, we shared hugs and cried a bit, even though we knew that we’d see each other again.
The following afternoon I was packing the things I wouldn’t be needing in the next month to get it out of the way when my cell phone rang. It was Molly on the display, and I flipped it open to hear screaming on the other line. “Molly….Molly, what’s going on?” I yelled to be heard over her screaming.
“KELLIE!” she cried, “You’ve been nominated for an Academy Award! Best Actress in a drama!”
I felt shaky all of a sudden. I had been nominated for an Oscar? 19-year-old Kellie from Phoenix, Arizona—an Academy Award nominee? I stumbled over to my bed and sat down. “Are you serious?!” I said
“Yes! I am dead serious. They’ve just announced the nominees in Hollywood and I just got word about it! You’re going to the Oscars!”
When I hung up with Molly, I set my phone on the bed and took a deep breath. Then I screamed excitedly, jumped up, and ran downstairs as fast I could possibly go.
“I’M GOING TO THE OSCARS!” I cried as I slid down the banister of the staircase. Nicole and Savannah were in the living room doing homework and Karigan was in the office on the computer, but she ran in the room and they all listened in as I told them all about my nomination.
“Oh my gosh…I get to wear couture! I promised Elie I’d let him make my gown for the Oscars if I ever got nominated. Oh my gosh!” A million thoughts were floating around my head all at once, and I fell back onto the couch and sighed. “This is incredible!”
My first thought was to dial up Elie Saab, and I did so right away. His secretary put me through and Elie said, “Kellie, darling, how are you?”
“Oh, I’m doing wonderfully, Elie. I’ve just found out that I’ve been nominated for an Oscar, and I’m wondering if you’re still interested in making my dress?”
“Oh, of course!” Elie said
“There’s a bit of a problem, though, which is in a month I’m moving to Seattle, so I don’t have much time left in London. Do you think you can manage to do it in such short time?”
“Anything for you, my darling. I will fly you here in my private jet every weekend to get it done, okay?”
Elie’s assistant made arrangements with me to be flown to Paris that weekend, and every weekend following until the dress was ready.
----------------------------------
January 19th was my final day of filming. I dressed in dark wide-leg denim trousers, a grey cami, a deep red empire waist cardigan, and a tan leather trench. I slipped on a pair of chocolate brown leather Frye boots and headed out the door. It felt surreal to be driving into the Leavesden parking lot for what could be the last time. I headed into my trailer and when I opened the door, I was surprised to see Bonnie, Emma, Carmen, and Katie crowded into my trailer.
“Katie! You’re back!” I cried, giving her a big hug. “What are you guys all doing here?”
“It’s your last day! We wanted to talk to you before it gets busy.” Bonnie said.
“Hey, Kellie, this came for you this morning.” Carmen said, handing me an official-looking envelope with my name written in calligraphy.
“Oh, you got one too? I got mine this morning.” Emma said. I turned the envelope over and recognized Her Majesty’s seal.
Carefully opening the envelope, I opened the letter inside to reveal an invitation to a State dinner with the Queen, welcoming the new President of the United States, Barack Obama. I was about to say that I couldn’t make it because I was moving in a week and a half, but I read the line with the date of the dinner. It was in five days. It was very last-minute, but that was probably because of the President’s last-minute decision to travel to Britain.
We talked for a little while, and then headed to wardrobe to get ready for the day’s filming. I met Tom in the studio and he was holding his video camera. “Hey, Kellie! I brought this for you—I had Katie do it to—I want you to record your last day on set. I’m trying to get everyone to do it, and I’ll put together a whole video. Would you mind doing that?” He held out his video camera.
“Oh, of course!” I took the camera and Tom showed me how to work it quickly before he had to head out to the set to film a scene. I was just about to change into my wardrobe for the upcoming scene when the door to the wardrobe department swung open and Molly came in.
“Kellie! I thought I’d find you here.” She said, giving me a hug. “I can’t believe this is your last day of filming.”
“I know! I mean…this is how everything got started for me, two years ago. It’s really sad.” I said
“I’ve got incredible news, though!” Molly said. “You’ve always wanted to do a musical, right?” I nodded. “Well, Seattle is trying to get their musical theatre district off the ground. It’s been around for a long time but it’s just not getting as big as they’d hoped. But this summer Wicked is coming, and they heard you’re moving to Seattle and they’ve asked that you audition for the part of Elphaba!”
I was completely shocked. “Oh my gosh. Wicked? Really? Wicked is my all-time favorite musical! And Elphaba is my favorite character!”
“So you’re interested?” Molly asked, pulling out a planner from her bag and scribbling something down.
“Absolutely. Count me in!” I said.
“Okay, great. Well when you get all settled in Seattle, let me know and I’ll set up an audition date for you. Here’s the audition material, they faxed it this morning.” Molly handed me a short script which contained a song and a scene that I was to act out at the audition.
I headed to the set and filmed my last few scenes, which were all set at Bill and Fleur’s shell cottage. When we wrapped for the day, I couldn’t believe it. I had wrapped films before without being this emotional, but this was Harry Potter—the first film I’d ever done, the work that got me jump-started in the industry. Tears welled in my eyes as I headed to hair and makeup to get changed into my normal clothes.
“Oh, Kellie, don’t cry!” Emma said when she saw my eyes shining. She dropped the bag she was carrying on a table and pulled me into a hug.
“I’m okay…I’m just really nostalgic. I’m going to miss this place.” I said, wiping my eyes.
Bonnie came along behind us, and she joined us, and in the end we were hugging and crying as we thought about how much we’d miss seeing each other every day on set. “One good thing, though…” I said, “First thing tomorrow I’m dying my hair back to brown!” We all laughed
-----------------------------------
The following week was the State dinner to welcome President Obama. I dressed in a gorgeous deep purple duchesse satin dress from Chanel, it was a shift with a full skirt and a deep V in the back, with two Kenneth Jay Lane bracelets with square links, one in Amethyst and one in clear Swarovski Cystals. I had my hair, which was back to my natural golden brown, pinned back in a chic bun and I was wearing black peep-toe pumps.
I was in the limo on the way to Buckingham Palace when my cell phone rang and Felix’s name flashed on the display.
“Hey, Felix!” I said when I answered.
“Hey, what’s up?” Felix said on the other line.
“Oh, I’m on my way to the State dinner with the Queen welcoming President Obama.” I said
“Oh, wow! Well I can call back later, if you want…” Felix said. I heard a loud voice in the background, as if someone was speaking over an intercom.
“No, not at all. It’s just a boring car ride to the palace. What’s going on?”
“Well, I just sent Mia back to Venezuela. I’m going to miss her so much…” He sounded really upset
“Oh, no…Felix, just think, before you know it it’ll be October and she’ll be back with you!” There was silence on the other line, and I wondered if he was crying. “Maybe you and her mom can work something out and you can get her more. Convince her that you can take care of Mia in season, too…”
“I might be able to do that…Mariella never was as passionate about taking care of and loving Mia as I am.” Felix was beginning to sound more optimistic, and I was glad I’d helped him feel better.
“Hey listen, I’m about to pull up to the palace so I have to go. But don’t forget, I’ll be there next week, so I’ll call you as soon as I get the chance!” I said as the limo drove through the gates of the palace and up the drive.
“Thanks, Kellie. You’re wonderful. And if you need my help moving in, you just let me know.”
When I got off the phone with Felix, I had that familiar fluttering feeling in my stomach. He had called me wonderful…I smiled to myself as the car slowed to a stop and a man in a tuxedo opened the door and I stepped out in front of the beautiful Palace. When I got inside, I spotted Emma across the room with Matt next to her, his arm around her waist. She was wearing a pretty black L’Wren Scott dress with cap sleeves and a nude bust covered in black Chantilly lace, paired with black sequined Louboutin pumps I had loaned her.
“Hey, Emma, you look gorgeous!” I said, giving her a hug.
Soon Katie, Dan, and Rupert found us and we all stood together talking, waiting to be told what to do. Katie was wearing a pretty soft blue crepe tank dress with piping on the bust.
“Kellie!” I knew Amelia’s voice before I even tuned around. She was a vision in a soft grey dress with an embellished empire waist and balloon sleeves. I gave her a hug and she brought us into the main hall where everyone was milling about. We talked for a bit, but we were soon instructed to form a reception line to meet President Obama, his wife Michelle, and their daughters, 10-year-old Malia Ann and 7-year-old Natasha.
President Obama came down the line first, greeting everybody in the line. “Ah, Kellie Holt. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He said, smiling and shaking my hand. “I’ve heard so many good things about you.”
“I’ve heard some pretty good things about you, too” I said with a smile, and we both laughed at my witty remark before he moved on to greet Katie.
Michelle Obama came along next, with their daughters trailing by her side. She was wearing a gorgeous bi-color Narciso Rodriguez tank dress, with the bust black and the rest white. “It’s lovely to meet you, dear!” she said politely, shaking my hand. The girls, on the other hand, were ecstatic to see me, Emma, Dan, Rupert, Katie, and Matt. They were absolutely precious and they shook our hands and called us all by our characters’ names.
-------------------------------------------
A week later it was finally time to move to Seattle. I had packed up most of the things in my room and a few other things around the house, but I was leaving most of it, as I would still be keeping the house in London and probably visiting once in a while. My apartment in New York had been sold and I’d had all of the contents shipped to Seattle, so the boxes were in my apartment waiting to be unpacked. All I had to do was make the actual move, and I did so very late one evening. I was double-checking things in my room and around the house, making sure I hadn’t forgotten anything.
“I still can’t believe you’re moving!” Savannah said as we packed everything into my car.
“I know! I’m going to miss you girls so much. But I’ll be back, of course! The press tour starts in May, and I’ll be here for that. As long as I have friends in London, I’ll still come visit!” I promised. We climbed into the car and drove to Heathrow. When we arrived, I checked my luggage outside and then gave the girls each a hug. We even shared a group hug.
“Call us as soon as you get the chance! And don’t forget to call Felix!” Nicole said as I waved goodbye to them and went inside the airport. I looked back to see them climbing into the car and driving off, and I felt a little lump in my throat. Choking back the tears, I made my way to security and boarded my flight, glad I could fly first class with its roomy, comfortable leather seats. When the plane took off, I pulled my eye mask out of my carry-on and put it over my eyes, hoping to get as much sleep as possible.
I arrived in SeaTac airport 9 hours later feeling very jetlagged and sleepy. I had changed out of the comfy sweats and t-shirt I had worn on the plane and was now wearing a turquoise double-breasted cardigan with navy trim, a skirt with a coral, brown, navy, and turquoise geometric print, coral flat sandals with mother-of-pearl embellishment, and my brown leather purse.
As I headed for baggage claim, I walked through the security gate and stopped dead in my tracks. I was sure I must be hallucinating from the lack of sleep. About 20 yards away I saw the back of someone who looked an awful lot like Felix. His black curly hair and tall stature were a dead ringer, but I assumed I just thought it was him because I dearly wanted to see him—Felix would have told me if he was planning on meeting me. I pushed my purse up on my shoulder and grabbed the handle of my rolling carry-on suitcase, pulling it behind me. But when I got about five feet away from the Felix look-alike, he turned around and looked right at me. It was Felix! My heart leapt when I saw that he was holding a bouquet of tulips, and his eyes lit up when he saw me.
“Felix, I…” I didn’t know what to say; all I knew was that I was very happy. I let go of my suitcase, having stopped dead for the second time, and Felix walked up to me.
“These are for you,” he said, handing me the flowers. I took them and opened my mouth to speak, but Felix said, “I need to tell you something. I can’t just be your friend anymore…”
I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, and I’m sure the look on my face was half scowl, have confused—was he saying that he simply didn’t want to be my friend anymore? However, Felix smiled and continued, “I can’t just be your friend because…I’m in love with you. I’ve wanted to tell you since that first week we met. And Mia loves you like her own mother. I held back from telling you so I wouldn’t scare you away, but I can’t do it anymore.”
I stood silent, my mouth hanging slightly open. Felix looked worried when I didn’t say anything, but I moved closer to him and said, “You could never scare me away!” I threw my arms, tulips and all, around his neck and kissed him. We stood together, kissing, for what felt like an eternity, or maybe only a second. When we parted, Felix was leaning over me, looking into my eyes.
“I’ve been waiting for that for a long time,” I said, smiling.
Felix grabbed my carry-on and took my hand in his, walking with me to baggage claim. That night he helped me start unpacking the boxes in my apartment and we began to move everything in. We started with the necessary things, such as the bed and couch that had been in my New York City apartment, and moved on from there. Felix ordered takeout from his favorite Chinese restaurant and we sat on the couch eating and listening to music. When we were full of Chow Mein and tired out from the moving, Felix and I kissed on the sofa, and then I leaned against his chest and he stroked my hair, and we talked for hours until I fell asleep.
When I woke up, the sun was blazing and the clock said it was only 7:30 am. “First thing today, we’re putting the blinds on these windows…” I groaned to myself. I looked around and Felix wasn’t in the room. He had, however, taken the blanket from my bed and covered me with it, and propped my head onto my pillow. I clambered off the couch, fixing my hair in the mirror in case Felix was still there. However, there was a note on the counter and Felix had written,
Kellie:
I had a great night. I went home to get some rest because I have a meeting with my trainer in the morning. I’ll call you when I’m done and if you want, I’ll come over and help you finish moving in.
Felix
I smiled, folding up the note and going to find my cell phone. I called the house in London to tell the girls all about what happened.
“And this morning I found a note he left saying he had a great night, and he’ll call me when he’s done with his trainer!” I exclaimed on the phone a while later. The girls were all listening in on speaker phone, so the response was a mingle of excited-sounding yells.
I spent most of the morning unpacking and decorating my apartment. I was nearly finished when Felix called around noon. Instead of coming over to help me, we decided to go out for lunch. I dressed in a green scoop-neck graphic T-shirt from American Eagle, dark jeans, black converse, and a black Burberry trench. I let my hair dry into loose waves and grabbed my purse and headed out the door when Felix buzzed from downstairs.
“So, I found out this morning that I have to leave a few days early for Peoria, so we’re flying out tomorrow night.” Felix said as we finished our lunch and he paid the bill. We walked across the street to a park to enjoy the crisp cold day.
“Already? Wow. Well, I’m going to miss you.” I said. Felix smiled and kissed me on the cheek.
“I’ll miss you, too. You should come down and watch some games, if you want.”
“I’m definitely considering it…oh, what’s this?” We had come across a newspaper stand and the latest edition of People magazine was out, with a picture of me and Felix kissing in the airport right on the front cover.
Felix picked up the magazine and laughed. “Well, I guess there’s no keeping it a secret,” he said. I was glad he took it well—some people couldn’t stand being in the tabloids, but Felix laughed it off easily.
“That’s weird; I don’t remember seeing a photographer there. Must’ve been some quick camera action from a random passerby.” We set the magazine back down and moved along, talking about the upcoming month-and-a-half Felix would be gone for.
“Did I tell you what Mariella decided?” Felix said as we left the park and made our way to his car. “She misses living up here, so she’s considering moving up to the Seattle area, and if she does that means I’ll see Mia year-round!”
“Oh my gosh, that’s wonderful!” I exclaimed.
“Yeah, and it’s all thanks to you.” Felix kissed my forehead, something I’d become very fond of from him long ago.
When we got to my apartment, Felix came up to help me put up the blinds. We spent the next hour assembling and installing them. When we finished, I was standing on a step-stool and Felix was below me. I tugged on the blinds, bringing them up to reveal the sun beginning to set over the harbor. We stood watching it for a moment, and then I looked down at Felix.
“I…I have no idea why I’m still standing up here.” I said, laughing.
Felix laughed, and then reached up and grasped me around the waist, pulling me down into his arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed him, and Felix backed up into the couch, falling into a sitting position. We kissed for nearly two hours, and when we were done, I felt like my lips could’ve swelled to twice their size.
Felix smiled and stood up. “I should probably go,” he said, looking at his watch. “I’ve got to train in the morning and I haven’t finished packing yet.”
“You’ll probably be busy all day tomorrow, then. I hope you have a good flight…”
Felix pressed me up against the front door and kissed me for another minute, and then said, “I’ll call you as soon as I get the chance.”
--------------------------------
Two weeks later I was fully moved in and settled into my new home, but the problem of boredom was setting in. I opened my laptop and, without putting any thought into it, went straight to the Travelocity website to look for tickets to Phoenix. I bought a first-class ticket to Phoenix to leave the following week, but I bought a one-way because I hadn’t yet decided when to return to Seattle.
A day before leaving for Phoenix, I did my audition for Wicked. I had to act out a scene in which Elphaba’s love, Fiyero, has been taken off to be murdered and she is doing spells to save his life, and sing the song that went along with the scene. I felt that I did pretty well, but I was so nervous that I had no idea whether I was actually any good compared to the rest of the people auditioning. I would get the call within a week to find out whether I had the part or not.
The following morning I boarded my plane, excited not only to see Felix, but for Spring Training in general. I was going to stay at my parents’ house, and they had offered to pick me up from the airport in Phoenix. I had talked to Felix before buying the tickets and he knew I was coming, but I was a bit fuzzy on the actual date, and I wanted to surprise him at practice before the afternoon’s game. I picked a 5am flight so I would arrive in Phoenix at 6am, Arizona time, and would have time to rest and get ready before the 9am practice.
Later in the morning my dad and I headed to the Mariners’ practice fields in Peoria. I was wearing a dark green cotton tank with a lighter green velvet ribbon at the waist and jeans, both from American Eagle, with black converse. I had my hair down and straight, with the bangs pinned back at the crown. We arrived at the fields, parked, and headed in to watch the team warm up.
My dad and I sat in the bleachers with the other fans that had come, and watched Felix pitch to the batters in batting practice. All of the pitchers were switching out, so when Felix was nearly done, my dad said, “Okay, I’ve been to these practices a few times. Chances are, Felix is going to finish up and head through the fenced-off area where the pitchers warm up, and he’ll go through the batting cages to the parking lot, so you’ll have to catch him in the warm-up area. Remember, let me know if you guys are doing anything. I’ll probably just hang out here and watch practice until the game starts, so don’t worry about me.”
“I’m lucky I’ve got you here!” I said, hugging my dad. I went and stood by the fence of the pitchers’ warm-up area and, sure enough, Felix walked into the area a moment later. He wasn’t paying much attention to where I was, because it was mostly fans lining the fences just to watch people walk by. He leaned down to get his duffel bag which was lying up against the fence, and I walked up and said, “Hey, stranger…”
Felix looked up, and when he saw who I was, he straightened up and smiled. “Hey! I didn’t know you were here already!” He grabbed his bag and stood back up.
“Yeah, I thought I’d surprise you,” I said.
“Hey, go around to the other side of those batting cages and I’ll meet you there, okay?” Felix said. I went around and there was a crowd of fans waiting for autographs from the players that were coming by, held back by a metal barricade fence. I stood a few feet away from the crowd so as not to get jostled. Felix walked by the crowd down the path that had been cleared, where Miguel was signing autographs. Fans called his name, but he walked right out to me, a big smile on his face. I smiled too, and he kissed me quickly, took my hand, and led me back by the fans and into the fence-off parking lot.
“Do you have any plans for lunch?” he asked
“Well I was thinking hot dogs in the stadium, but if you’ve got anything in mind…” I trailed off, smiling.
“No, sounds perfect, actually.” Felix said. He took my hand in his and we walked over to the offices. Felix stopped in to talk to the pitching coach and I took the minute to call my dad and let him know I’d meet him at our seats before the start of the game. When Felix was done, we walked over to the stadium, which wasn’t open to the public for another hour. The people working concessions were setting up and getting the food ready, and we walked up to see if we could get anything to eat.
“Hey, do you guys have any hot dogs?” Felix asked. We each got a hot dog and a drink, and then we took it out to the lawn seats to sit in the grass and eat. The field was being prepared for the game, and we watched the groundskeepers level the dirt and draw the lines on the field. We hung out and talked for a while afterwards, and all of a sudden we realized that the gates to the stadium had been opened and fans were beginning to trickle in, setting up their lawn seats and playing catch as they waited for the game to begin.
“Oh my gosh, Felix…if people see you, they’ll flip!” I whispered, as a family of five had just set up a blanket a few feet away from us and were sitting down and helping themselves to their packed lunch.
“It’s okay…just come with me.” Felix and I carefully stood up, trying not to gain attention from the now growing crowd of fans nearby. We swiftly passed the people entering the park, Felix keeping his head down so that the bill of his hat covered most of his face. We finally made it to the entrance onto the field, and Felix and I started laughing at our incredible luck.
“Not one person stopped us!” Felix said, exasperated. We were still laughing and talking when Wladimir approached us.
“Hey, Wlad!” Felix said, doing a high-five handshake. “Oh, Kellie’s here, so you can tell her!”
Felix was looking at Wladimir expectantly, and Wlad cleared his throat and said, “Erm…I just wanted to apologize for trying to flirt with you. I knew you were off-limits, and that was a bad move.”
“Oh, hey, no problem!” I said, smiling, “No harm done here.”
“Wladimir and I have been hanging out a lot during practice, and we’re pretty good friends, now.” Felix said
Wladimir went over to warm up with the rest of the guys and Felix said, “He told me on the first day of practice that he felt like an asshole for trying to flirt with you when he knew I liked you. Said flirting is his second nature, but he’s trying to…er, cut back.” Felix laughed. “Anyway, he’s actually pretty cool once you get to know him. Speaking of which—Wlad and Miguel wanted to go out to dinner tonight, and Miguel’s bringing his wife. Do you want to come with?”
“Sounds great.” I said. Felix kissed my forehead and went out to warm up, and I moved over a few rows to the seats my dad and I were going to be in. Soon enough my dad showed up and sat down.
“How’d it go?” He asked. I told my dad about our lunch and the near run-in with fans that started pouring into the stadium.
The game was incredible—it felt like the World Series all over again, sitting behind home plate and watching Felix pitch, only it was much more laid back. When the mariners won, they cleared off the field and grabbed their things to leave. I talked to Felix for a minute, and then my dad and I headed home.
Later in the evening I got ready for dinner with Felix, Miguel, and Wladimir. I wore a black, white, and yellow watercolor floral print chiffon dress with a black cardigan, a stack of square bangles, and black sequined sandals. Felix picked me up at a quarter to seven and when I answered the door, he said, “Wow, you look—stunning,” And kissed my cheek.
We talked on the way out to the restaurant in Felix’s car, which had been shipped down along with the rest of the team’s cars. “So I hired a temporary personal assistant in LA to take care of things before the Oscars—who knew there was so much involved in preparing for the show? But she called today and said that my gown arrived today and it looks immaculate. I can’t wait to see it!”
“So are you going with a friend?” Felix asked as we pulled into the parking lot of Pappadeaux.
“Oh, I love Pappadeaux! No…I don’t really have any good friends in LA so I’m just going solo.” I said as we got out. “If it wasn’t the middle of spring training, of course I’d want you to come with…” I said, smiling.
“Well, I might be able to work something out with the managers if I’m not pitching that weekend…” Felix suggested.
We got to the front of the restaurant and met Miguel and his wife, Carla, in the outdoor waiting area. Soon Wladimir showed up with his girlfriend, Marie, and we took our seats at a table in the back corner of the restaurant. As we were waiting for our dinner and talking about movies, my cell phone rang. I reach for my purse to silence it, but I looked at the display and saw that it was the casting director from Wicked. “I’m sorry, guys; I have to take this…” I said, standing up and heading for the restrooms.
“Hello?” I said, answering my phone as soon as I got to the quiet hallway.
“Kellie, hi, it’s Amy Winters, the casting director for Wicked. How are you doing tonight?” She asked
“Oh, I’m doing well, how are you?”
“Great! Listen, we’ve been talking about your performance, and the way you captured the spirit and personality of Elphaba was incredible. We’re honored to offer you the part of Elphaba for the summer run of Wicked, if you’re interested.”
My heart leapt into my throat and I said, “Oh that would be wonderful! I’d love to accept.”
Amy said she’d call Molly to get everything taken care of regarding when I would begin rehearsing and when the run would actually begin. I headed back to the table, and I could not wipe the smile off my face.
“Hey, you look happy!” Wladimir said when I sat down.
“Yeah…I was just offered the part of Elphaba in Wicked in Seattle for the summer run!” I said, smiling. Everyone congratulated me, and Felix reached under the table and squeezed my hand.
“That’s wonderful…I can’t wait to see you perform!” he said.
When dinner was over, we all stood in the parking lot talking for a few minutes, and then we all hugged and thanked each other for a great night and left.
------------------------------------
A week later, on Saturday, Felix and I arrived in LA, and we headed to the hotel suite at the Chateau Marmont that I had bought for the weekend. The team’s managers allowed him to take the weekend off, since he wasn’t going to be pitching in a game until Tuesday. We got into the suite and put our suitcases in the corner, not wanting to actually unpack quite yet.
“Oh my gosh, it’s here!” I said, indicating a garment bag that was hanging on a hook in the bedroom. It had silver print reading, “Elie Saab Haute Couture” and there was a note pinned on it.
“Dear Kellie: I can’t wait to see you on the red carpet in this stunner, darling. Enjoy your first trip to the Oscars. Much love, Elie” Felix read.
I unzipped the bag to reveal the incredible gown. It was yellow with layers of white tulle overlay and it was embroidered and beaded in black and silver, all gathering at one point on the torso just below the deep V-neck.
“Oh wow…you’re going to look so beautiful in that.” Felix said. He kissed the back of my neck and I smiled.
“I’m just glad that you’ll be standing next to me on the carpet…” I turned around and kissed Felix.
We decided to go to one of the pre-Oscar parties, and when we got there, we were directed to the swag tent. I was wearing a pretty red shift dress with ivory trim and an ivory band at the waist decorated with two buttons, black leather pumps, and a dark purple embossed croc clutch. “I’ve never been in a swag tent like this…” I said to Felix.
“So they just give you a bunch of free stuff, then?” Felix asked. We were walking around and there were tables full of free gifts. Felix put his arm around my waist and we took the Swag Bag offered to me by a girl working the door.
“Just fill this up with whatever you’d like, Miss Holt!” she said, smiling.
“I totally don’t get this whole giving things away for free thing…” Felix said, laughing.
“Well, they do it so stars will wear their clothes, or use their products, and then talk about how much they love it, and people will go out and buy it. So even though they’re giving things away for free, ideally they will be making money off of it in the long run.” I explained.
I tried to use my best discretion so as not to get anything unnecessary, but when it came to clothes and things, but when I got to the accessories, I found it difficult to hold back. I picked up a starburst print Missoni scarf in peach and teal, Oliver Peoples brown sunglasses with hammered bronze sides, gold multi-loop drop earrings, a stack of gold Plexiglas McQueen bangles, and a gold Kenneth Jay Lane layering necklace with turquoise. I grabbed a pink leather quilted Marc by Marc Jacobs purse, a Bobbi Brown makeup palette, a set of four puzzle-piece glass votive candles, a blue glass “Frozen Water” table-top sculpture, and Guerlain moisturizer.
“Oh my gosh, Felix, there’s a kids station! Let’s see if there’s anything you can get for Mia…” I said.
Felix picked out a couple outfits for Mia. There was a pair of dark pink leggings with a matching lighter pink tunic top as well as a green dress with a set of rainbow stripes down the middle, both from Juicy Couture, and a white hoodie with a fur-trimmed hood and silver butterflies on the back from Ed Hardy. “She’ll love this stuff…I wish she was with me in the summer, I’d get that bathing suit for her, too.” Felix said.
I picked up a pair of Juicy Couture broken-heart pink enamel and pave diamond earrings, blue Ed Hardy sweats, and a black skull Ed Hardy t-shirt. “Okay, I think we need to leave before I just take everything in this tent!” I said. Felix laughed and when we went to leave, the girl offered to hold the bag until we left the party so I didn’t have to carry it around.
There were some press photographers milling about the party, and they took pictures of me and Felix as we sat at a table drinking, eating hors d’evours, and talking. The party was pretty laid-back, and a few people came over to introduce themselves, including the beautiful Cate Blanchett and Amy Adams.
When Amy came over she said, “Hi, I saw you across the room and I just wanted to say hello. I’m Amy!” she held out her hand and I smiled and shook it.
“It’s so great to meet you. I’m Kellie, and this is Felix.” I said, and Felix reached across the table and shook her hand as well.
“Oh, are you her boyfriend?” Amy asked
Felix and I both looked at each other, and Felix smiled and said, “Yes, I am.” I felt a flutter in my stomach and I smiled back.
“Aw, you two are so cute! Well it was great to meet you. I’m sure I’ll see you at some point tomorrow evening!”
“Hey, let’s dance!” Felix said. He stood up and helped me up, and we went out to the dance floor. We danced for half an hour and when we were done, we went back to our table to have something to drink and take a break.
When we got back to the hotel that evening, we sat on the couch watching TV for a while. When I started to get tired, Felix said, “So, if you want I can sleep on the couch…”
We hadn’t slept together yet, but I hadn’t expected Felix to come until the last minute, so I only had a one bed suite. I was glad that he offered to sleep on the couch, but I took his hand and said, “It’s okay, there’s plenty of room for two on the bed,” And led him into the bedroom.
When I woke up the following morning, I was lying with my back turned to Felix. I felt him place his hand on my bare stomach, and then he planted two little kisses on my shoulder. I turned around and smiled.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Felix said, smiling.
I yawned and stretched. “Morning. What time is it?”
“8am. What time do you have to get up?” Felix said, looking at the clock
“Probably like 8:30. I’m starting to get nervous about tonight. All the expectations and everything…”
Felix brushed a strand of hair from my face and kissed me. “You’ll be all right. I’ll be there every step of the way holding your hand.”
-------------------------------------------
By one my Oscar preparations were in full swing. A limo was scheduled to pick me and Felix up at 3, so I was having my hair done. I loved having my brown hair back, so I had the stylist curl it into loose waves and pin it into a pretty, loose chignon. I had my makeup done, with a purple smoky eye and a soft pink lip.
“Okay, Kellie, the limo is here.” Felix called into the bedroom when he answered to hotel room kitchen phone at five ‘til 3.
“Oh my gosh. Okay…this is it!” I said, checking my appearance in the mirror one last time. I was wearing the gorgeous Elie Saab gown, which hugged every curve and fit my body perfectly, along with a pair of Harry Winston large diamond stud earrings and a diamond feather brooch which my stylist had pinned into my hair from Adriana Orsini, both loaned to me by the designers. I quickly packed my black crystal-beaded Leiber clutch with lip gloss, my cell phone, my ID and credit card, a mini travel flask of my perfume for touch-ups, and the key to the hotel.
“Okay, I’m ready!” I called out. I opened the door leading out to the living room and kitchen, where Felix was leaning against the counter in a tux. When he saw me, his jaw dropped and he remained silent for a moment.
“Wow….all I can say is, wow!” he stammered. I smiled and he took my hand and kissed it. “Shall we?” he said, and took my hand, leading me out the door. We made our way downstairs and climbed into the limo—I had to be especially careful since the back of the dress was beaded as well as the front.
When we got to the Kodak Theatre, there was a long line of cars dropping people off, so we sat in the line for about five minutes. When we finally pulled up to the entrance to the red carpet, a man opened the door and Felix climbed out, and then reached in and took my hand to help me out.
There were more people than I had ever seen on a red carpet before. It was huge, and completely filled with press, stars, and a bunch of random people. “Let’s do this!” I said in Felix’s ear. We walked onto the carpet holding hands and were directed by a man to stand in front of a press bank to pose for pictures. We moved on to talk to Ryan Seacrest for E!
“So tell me, Kellie, what’s it like being on the red carpet of the Oscars for the first time ever?” Ryan asked, holding the microphone up to me.
“It’s….overwhelming!” I said, laughing. “There’s people everywhere. It’s not the nice, neat, simple red carpet I’m used to at movie premieres. The excitement is infectious, though. I’m loving every minute of this.”
“Okay, now everybody wants to know, where did you get this amazing look?”
“The gown is Elie Saab Couture, he’s an amazing designer and a dear friend of mine. The earrings are Harry Winston, the shoes are Louis Vuitton, and the hair pin is Adriana Orsini.”
“Wow! Some ladies stick with one designer, but you kind of picked and chose, then?”
“Well, yeah! I wanted to find the perfect combination, and staying with one designer for, say, the shoes and the purse and whatever else wouldn’t have given me the options I had.”
“Now who is your date?” Ryan asked
“This is my boyfriend, Felix Hernandez. He’s a pitcher for the Seattle Mariners.”
“Oh, that’s great! Yeah, we’ve heard the rumors that you two were dating. So it’s official, then?”
“Yes, it is.” I smiled and Felix put his arm around my waist. I was so happy, I was positively beaming.
We moved on to speak with Andre Leon Talley, who was interviewing for Vogue Magazine.
“Oh, darling, this is a wonderful gown you’ve got on. Elie Saab haute couture, of course?” he said in his flamboyant British accent.
“Yes! Elie put so much work into getting this done in a very short amount of time. I contacted him in January as soon as I found out I was nominated, and I was moving from London to Seattle in February, so we had a month to put it together. He flew me to Paris every weekend for an entire month to get it done. I’m so grateful for the hard work he put into making this!”
“And was there a process you went through to pick out the accessories?”
“Well, I decided to go with diamond studs because they’re simple and classic, but beautiful because of the size and cut, and then I just wanted to go with simple accessories because of the embellishment of the gown. I fell in love with the hair pin and it happened to fit well with the rest of the outfit!”
When we were done with the carpet interviews, we posed for a few more photos and then made our way inside the theatre. It was nearly time for the show to begin, so we found our seats at a table that included Abigail Breslin and, to my delight, Cameron!
“Kellie!” she squealed when she got to the table. “How are you, honey?” I stood up and gave her a huge hug.
“I’m doing great! You look gorgeous!” she was wearing a deep eggplant ruched Versace Couture gown.
When the show began, we settled in and started eating our dinner, a five-course meal that was delicious, but only lasted through the first two hours of the show. There were two more, and best actress wasn’t announced until the last half-hour. I was beginning to wonder if I might actually doze off when Felix tapped my shoulder. I looked over and he passed me a little note written on a napkin. It read, Are you bored out of your mind, too, or is it just me?
I smiled. Nope, you’re definitely not alone. T-minus 2 hours and counting until we’re out of here!
The nominees for best actress in a comedy were being announced, and a cameraman came up to film Abigail, who was nominated. Felix stopped writing and we sat in anticipation, hoping Abigail would win—in the commercial breaks we had all talked, and she was the most genuinely kind and funny young girl one could hope for.
“And the winner for the best actress in a comedy film is…Abigail Breslin!”
Abigail’s face lit up and she jumped out of her chair, hugged her mom who was with her, and then turned and gave me a hug, too. “Congratulations!” I said. She walked up to the stage to give her excited, grateful acceptance speech. When she went backstage clutching her Oscar statue, Felix pulled out the pen and continued writing.
I’m glad she won. She deserves it. Felix wrote. I smiled and nodded in agreement.
Hopefully the Vanity Fair party will be interesting tonight. I’m not going to sit down for a week after this four-hour show. I wrote back
I’m feeling the same way. That party better have some good alcohol and some really comfortable chairs, or else I’m standing all night
We went on writing on the napkin for nearly the rest of the show. When it was time for the Best Actress in a Drama award to be announced, a cameraman came over to our table again to film me. When my name was announced with the nominees, the light for the camera turned on to film a short clip of me sitting pretty and waiting for the winner to be announced. I smiled, and Felix reached over and grasped my hand. When the camera shut off, he said, “I’ll still love you if you don’t win.” And smiled, causing me to laugh. I was glad that he was there; his smile and his strong hand seemed to take the nerves away.
The winner was announced, and it wasn’t me. I was completely okay with that, though. When the show was finally over, we stood up as quickly as possible without looking odd. “Oh my gosh, I’ll never sit again!” I moaned.
I hugged Abigail and Cameron and then Felix and I headed out and made our way to the Vanity Fair party. Lucky for us, there was a lot of great alcohol and soft, cushioned chairs. Felix and I spent the night dancing, drinking, and meeting some really great people.
“This is awesome…I never get to unwind like this in the season, so having a short break and getting to spend it here with Kellie is incredible” Felix told a reporter that came over to ask us some questions.
When we finally decided to head back to the hotel, our limo picked us up outside and drove us home. Felix and I stumbled into the hotel room. He unzipped my dress for me, and I slipped it off, put my jewelry on the dresser table, and we collapsed into bed together.
The following morning Felix and I were hung over, but we had to brave it and get up to get ready to return to Phoenix. I had to seal each piece of jewelry and my clutch into a plastic bag and send them off with the temporary assistant I’d hired to be returned to the designers. I packed my gown in its garment bag and put it in my suitcase—It would only hang in my closet for years and years, but one day I wanted to be able to pass it on to my daughter; and lets face it, I’d break it out and wear it around the apartment once in a while when I needed a pick-me-up.
We boarded our plane and an hour and a half later we were back in Phoenix. Felix and I kissed in the cab ride the entire way home, until it dropped me off at my house and continued on to take Felix to his hotel.
A week later I decided to head back to Seattle. Felix would be returning in a week, and I had to get back to start preparations for Wicked. Molly had called to let me know that as soon as I returned to Seattle they wanted me in to get fittings for my costumes, which would be custom-made. Felix drove me to the airport and kissed me goodbye.
-----------------------------------
When I got to Seattle, the cold air hit me and I breathed it in, smiling. I dropped my luggage off at my apartment and headed straight to the Bella Theatre, where Wicked was going to take place.
“Kellie! It’s wonderful to meet you!” A short bald man with round glasses cried, shaking my hand jovially. “I’m Bernardo, the wardrobe manager. Today we’re going to take some measurements and I’ll make up a muslin mock-up so that next time you’re in you can try it on and we’ll make sure it fits perfect before making the real costumes.”
I spent the next hour being measured and examined from all angles for all of the different costumes. I met Lisa Admin, the actress that was going to be Glinda, the other main character in the musical. She was friendly and very funny, and I was glad I would be working with her for the next few months. After the fitting, we decided to go out for drinks.
“You know, it’s a bit weird for me because I went from living in London with my three best friends and having a bunch of close friends around, to moving to Seattle where I barely know anyone.” I said as we drank beer at a small corner table in a pub across from the theatre.
“Well, you’ll probably make a ton of friends on the cast. I’ve met a few of the cast members and they’re really great.”
“Yeah, that’s how I made friends in London for the most part. I just need to get out and get to know people. I mean, I have Felix and some of the Mariners and their wives, but that’s it right now.”
We had a couple more beers and by the end of the evening I felt like I had made a really great bond with Lisa. We exchanged phone numbers and she promised that next time she went out with her girlfriends, she’d invite me along so I could meet some more Seattle girls.
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A week later I went to pick Felix up from the airport. Even being apart for a week had been tough, and when I brought Felix back to his house, we couldn’t stop kissing in the front doorway before Felix had even had the chance to unlock the door. We finally parted and Felix opened the front door. He lugged the suitcases inside and then shut the door and we were back to kissing for a minute.
“Okay, we’re never going to get anything done if we keep this up!” I said, laughing.
“I’m okay with that…but I guess you’re right. Hey, would you mind putting this bag on the couch in the living room?” he handed me a small bag and I took it to the living room while he started heaving suitcases upstairs.
I walked into the living room, expecting it to be empty and quiet, but I screamed when I saw a woman sitting on the couch. It wasn’t until after I’d screamed that I realized that Mia was on the couch with the woman.
I wasn’t sure what to say, so I turned and said, “Felix?” He was running down the stairs after hearing my scream, and when he came into the room, he stopped dead in the doorway.
“Mariella…what are you doing here?!’ He said.
My jaw dropped. Felix and Mariella quarreled in Spanish for a few minutes, and I managed to follow most of it. After a while, Felix stopped and said, “I’m so sorry, Kellie. Er, this is Mariella, Mia’s mother. Mariella, this is my girlfriend, Kellie.”
I put out my hand to be polite, and Mariella reluctantly shook it. I could tell that Felix needed to talk to Mariella some more, so I said, “Hey, Mia, why don’t we go upstairs and play with your Barbies?” I picked her up and we left the room. As we sat in her room playing with her toys, I could hear Felix and Mariella speaking in raised voices downstairs.
Ten minutes later, I heard footsteps on the stairs, and saw Felix go into his bedroom. “Mia, honey, I’ll be right back.” I said, getting up and going into his room.
“Hey…is everything okay?” I asked.
“Not really. Mariella just decided to pack up and move here without any notice or plans or anything. She doesn’t have anywhere to live. She just expected to come up here and everything would work out perfectly. She’s always been like that—it drives me crazy.” Felix said. He was leaning over the counter in his bathroom, his eyes closed.
I walked over to Felix and rubbed his back. “So is she going to be staying here, then?”
“No. No way. She expects me to, but I won’t do that. I’ll pay for a couple nights in a hotel so she can get on her feet, but after that she’s on her own. I’m going to keep Mia until she gets things figured out.”
“That’s probably best. Listen, Felix, don’t let this stress you out. You’ve got a lot on your plate.” Felix straightened up and kissed me.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you right now.” He said, smiling. “I’m so sorry…I had a really romantic night planned for us, and now it’s ruined.”
“Hey, I wouldn’t mind handing out a rain check.” I said.
I stayed at Felix’s house and watched Mia while he drove Mariella to a hotel and dropped her off. When he returned, Mia had fallen asleep, and I’d tucked her into her bed and shut off the light to her room.
“Hey, it’s not too late for a romantic evening in,” I said when Felix got home. We cuddled on the patio furniture and turned on some soft music and spent the evening talking.
---------------------------------
I arrived at the Bella Theatre at 9:30 in the morning for our first actual rehearsal on the third of April. Lisa and I had met for coffee beforehand and we were standing in the cold, waiting for someone to come unlock the theatre doors.
“So you’ll never believe what happened the other night…” I said, sipping my mocha and shivering.
“What?” Lisa asked.
“I picked Felix from the airport the other night, and he said he had a really romantic night planned. So we get to his house, and I walk into the living room and Mariella is there!”
Lisa gasped. “What…why?!”
“Get this…she just decided to pack up and move to Seattle! She had Mia, and they were just sitting on the couch. God only knows how she got in…” Lisa raised her eyebrows at this, and I continued, “Felix was pissed. You know, she came up here with no warning; no place to live. They were arguing and Spanish and I could only understand parts of it because he was talking so fast and so angrily.”
“So what’s going to happen with her?” Lisa asked
“He offered to pay for 2 nights in a hotel and then she’s on her own. He’s got Mia until she gets settled somewhere.”
“Wow…that’s some major drama. How long have you been dating again?” Lisa asked. The crew showed up just then and let us in, and when we got inside to the warm, heated building, I continued.
“It’s almost two months. Anyway, he’s been really busy with the season opener and everything, but when things calm down, we’ve got to talk. Just…clear things up, you know?”
“Absolutely! You deserve an explanation!”
“I don’t blame him for any of this. I just need some answers about Mariella, and their relationship in the past. I think that as his girlfriend, I deserve to know. Anyway, he’s leaving Thursday for an away series in Anaheim, so I’ve offered to have Mia stay with me so we don’t have to worry about Mariella.”
When we got settled on the stage, we did a run-through of each song to get it down perfectly. My favorite song was Defying Gravity, the climactic song of the musical. We were starting to go over just the music, and then we would begin learning the choreography, and when we got that down, we’d begin doing full rehearsals of the entire musical, lines and all.
----------------------------------
Later in the evening I attended the Mariners’ season opener. Felix was pitching, and I had Mia with me. He pitched eight perfect innings, and in the end the Mariners won 6-0 over the New York Mets.
After the game Felix disappeared with the rest of the team into the clubhouse. Carla Batista was sitting a few seats down from us, so as the stadium cleared out, I picked Mia up and went to talk to her.
“Wow, that was a great game, wasn’t it?” I said, sitting next to Carla.
“Yeah, it was!” Carla said. We talked about the road tour to Anaheim that was coming up—like most players’ wives, Carla traveled with the team and was looking forward to the warm California sun.
“Oh, that’ll be so nice. I wish I could go! I’m just so busy with rehearsals, we’re making so much progress. Besides, someone’s got to take care of Mia!” I laughed, patting Mia’s soft, curly black hair.
Felix came out of the clubhouse, so I said goodbye to Carla and the three of us took our things and left.
“So, what do you say we head back to my house? I’ve got a bottle of red wine that was an early birthday gift from a friend, and I’d rather not drink it alone,” Felix suggested.
“Well, I suppose I can help you out…” I said with a wink.
When we got to Felix’s house, he brought Mia up to bed, and I curled up on the couch and poured us each a glass of wine. When Felix came in the living room, he sat down with me and we spent a few minutes just drinking and chatting.
Finally I took a big gulp of wine and said, “So, I was thinking…one of these days will you tell me about you and Mariella? I just feel like so much has been left unsaid in that matter.”
“Of course...I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you in the dark about things, I just never thought to tell you the whole story. Here,” He said; he filled up our glasses and began to explain everything from the beginning.
“She had been acting weird for a while,” Felix explained a while later, “Once I was home in the off season and we ran into a stranger at the grocery story—or at least, I thought he was a stranger—and Mia called him ‘daddy’. Mariella told me she was probably just confused, since she was just learning how to talk and I wasn’t around a lot, but that didn’t exactly make me feel any better. When I came home the next year, I bumped my flight up so I could come home a day early and surprise them. I went to our house and there was Mariella with that same stranger. They’d been together for 3 years, I found out.”
I was completely shocked. I thought it hurt to find out that Andrew was cheating on me in October, and we’d only been together for a few weeks.
“She just…” I wasn’t quite sure what to say. It was a mystery to me why someone would ever cheat, and even more so when it was on someone as amazing as Felix.
“Yeah. I had offered to move her and Mia up to Seattle during the season, but I soon realized that he was the reason she refused.”
We sat in quiet for a moment. Felix poured a bit of wine into each of our glasses. Finally I said, “Mariella was a fool to use you like that. I’m sorry,” and I leaned my head on his shoulder.
“You know what? It hurt, what she did, and it took a long time go get better, but I’m glad she did that. If Mariella hadn’t cheated on me, I may have never met you, and that’s not something I’d ever want to imagine.” Felix kissed my forehead and I smiled. We finished off our wine and then Felix took my hand and led me upstairs to bed.
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On Thursday evening, Felix and the rest of the team left for the three-day series in Anaheim. I picked Mia up from their house and kissed Felix goodbye. His birthday was on Sunday, and he would be gone, but we had gone out to dinner the night before to celebrate it. On the way back to my apartment, we stopped for ice cream.
“Hey Mia, do you know the happy birthday song?” I asked later as we sat on the couch eating ice cream and watching TV.
When I found out she didn’t know the song, I made it my goal for the weekend to teach her the song, so that on Sunday we could call Felix and she could sing to him.
Friday morning I woke Mia up at 8:30 to get ready for rehearsals. Felix and I had talked about it, and decided to get a bed for Mia in my apartment, since it seemed that I would be taking care of her while he was away for a while—Mariella hadn’t appeared to make any attempts to get out of the hotel she was staying in.
We headed to the theatre a little while later. Mia was all wrapped up in the white Ed Hardy hoodie Felix got for her at the Oscars party, with jeans and dark purple converse, and I wore a navy blue pointelle knit sweater, a white pencil skirt, and tan leather open toe pumps with a silver buckle. We spent the first half-hour in fittings for my costumes, and I got out the toys I had brought in my bag for Mia. She sat quietly in the corner playing with Legos.
As Bernardo pinned up my first costume, I said, “Okay, Mia, are you ready to learn the Happy Birthday song?” I began teaching her the words, and she built a wall of Legos and repeated the song after me.
“She’s learning very quickly. She’ll be a singer just like you!” Bernardo said, laughing. “Is she your daughter?” he added
“No,” I said in reply, “She’s my boyfriend’s daughter. He’s a baseball player, though, and he’s away playing in California this weekend, so she’s staying with me.”
“A baseball player? For what team?” I hadn’t really had much time to talk to Bernardo, so I was glad we had this time to get to know each other.
“He plays for the Mariners. He’s a pitcher—Felix Hernandez, do you know him?” I said.
“Oh, yeah! Wow, I didn’t know you were dating him. Good for you. You know, I played baseball back when I was young, in New York.”
We talked about our families for a little while, and when we were done with the fittings, I gathered Mia’s things and put her in one of the seats in the theatre while we went through our full rehearsal.
“Okay, everyone, we’ll start doing dress rehearsal in two weeks, so be prepared to be weighed down by your heavy costumes. It’ll take a toll on your singing and dancing the first few days, but you’ll get used to it!” America, the director of the musical, announced. I packed up my bag and got Mia from the seats, where she was playing with Barbies contently, not complaining about the long rehearsal at all.
Later in the evening I tucked Mia into her bed that resided in the study office of my apartment. As I sat on the edge of her bed and read her a story, she said, “Are you going to be my mommy now?”
I felt a lump in my throat as I thought of what to say. I smiled, stroked some hair out of her eyes, and said, “I’m going to be your very good friend. I’m taking care of you—but you already have a mommy.”
“Mommy doesn’t love me, though…” Mia said.
I wasn’t sure what to say to that. I closed the book and gently set it next to the bed, then said, “Honey, your mommy does love you, she’s just still learning how to show you how she feels.”
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Two days later, Sunday, was Felix birthday. He was turning 23, and Mia and I gathered on the couch in the afternoon and dialed his cell phone number. “Hello?” he answered. There were loud voices in the background and I could tell he was with some of the guys from the team.
“Hey, happy birthday!” I cried
“Oh, hey beautiful. Thanks…how’s it going with you and Mia?” Felix asked. The noise died down and I assumed he was leaving the crowd to hear me better.
“It’s great! We’re having a great weekend, but I think she misses you a lot. Speaking of Mia, though, she’s got something to say to you.” I put the phone on speaker and said, “okay, hon, go!”
Mia sang Happy Birthday perfectly, and when she was done, Felix laughed. “Mia, baby, that was wonderful! Did you teach her that, Kellie?”
“Yeah, she learned really fast, too! Wasn’t it great?”
Mia seemed so proud of herself for singing the song so well that she giggled to herself for a while. When we said goodbye to Felix, Mia and I flipped on Sleeping Beauty and watched it for about 20 minutes before the buzzer rang from downstairs. I looked through the window but couldn’t see anyone from that angle. I went over to the door while Mia continued to watch the movie and I answered the buzz on the intercom.
“This is Mariella, I want to see Mia.” Mariella’s voice chimed through the speaker.
“Oh, Mariella? I wasn’t expecting you…does Felix know you’re coming to see her?” I asked
“No, she’s my daughter. I want to see her.” Mariella demanded.
I was a bit shaken at this. I allowed Mariella to come up, but I dialed Felix’s cell phone number right away.
“Hey, Felix, it’s me again. Listen, Mariella just showed up at my apartment and she said she wants to see Mia. What should I do?” I asked before Mariella got upstairs.
“Just let me talk to her when she gets there,” Felix said.
There was a knock on the door and I reluctantly put the phone on the counter, with Felix still on the line. “Hi, Mariella, come on in,” I said, holding the door open wide. She walked in, and Mia was so engrossed in her movie that she hadn’t yet noticed her mother. “So, have you found a place to live yet?” I asked casually.
“No,” Mariella said quietly, looking around my apartment.
“Well, if you need any help—finding a real estate agent or a job or anything—just let me know, and I’ll try to help you out, okay?” I offered, trying to sound polite.
“I…I want to take Mia out today,” she said, stuttering at first as though she wasn’t expecting my kindness.
“Well, Felix is on the phone, and he’d like to talk to you,” I said, putting my phone on speaker and setting it on the counter between us.
Felix and Mariella talked for a little while, and I only half-listened, not really wanting to translate in my head. At one point, Mariella raised her voice and when Felix answered back, a cry erupted from the couch, where Mia was looking very upset. Feeling just a little awkward around Mariella, I hurried over to help Mia instead.
“What’s wrong, honey bun?” I asked.
“Mommy and daddy are yelling!” she wailed, grabbing a throw pillow and burying her face in it. I pulled Mia into a hug and reached for the TV remote, turning up the volume a little bit to drown out the conversation.
“Mommy and daddy aren’t yelling, Mia, they’re just talking in loud voices. I’ll be right back, now, just listen to your movie, okay?” I said. I directed Mariella into the office, which was also Mia’s temporary bedroom, so she wouldn’t upset Mia any further. Then I closed the door and got a glass of cold water for Mia.
Mariella came out of the office a few minutes later. She handed me my phone and said, “He wants to talk to you now.”
“Hey,” I said, taking the phone off speaker.
“Hey, I told her that when I get back we can talk about her taking Mia out, but not today. She should be leaving soon, then.” Felix said.
“Oh great, thanks. Hey, listen, I’m sorry you had to deal with this on your birthday. I just figured that calling you was the best idea, given the situation,” I said.
“No, I’m glad you did. Sorry you had to put up with Mariella. I mean, you shouldn’t have to go through this, when Mia isn’t even your daughter.” Felix added.
“Felix, you know I love Mia, and I don’t mind dealing with things like this for her. Hey, have a good rest of your birthday, and I’ll see you tonight!”
After the evening game, which was already in progress, they were going to pack up and fly back to Seattle late in the evening. Felix would probably get back after we were asleep, but we thought it best that Mia just stay the whole night through, so Felix would just spend the night with me.
“Okay, Mia! We need to get out of the apartment; it’s a beautiful day outside!” I cried when the movie was over. It was one of those gorgeous sunny April days in Seattle, when the sky is clear and blue and it’s the perfect temperature for shorts and sandals. It would probably get cold again the following day, so I wanted to take advantage of the wonderful day.
“I say we head down to the aquarium, what do you think?” I asked.
“Yeah!” Mia cried. I pulled my hair into a messy ponytail and dressed in a light pink cami, green khaki cargo capris, and white leather flat sandals, then went to Mia’s room to help her get dressed. Together we picked out a white t-shirt with a light blue and yellow sunshine print, denim shorts, and adorable little blue and yellow strappy sandals.
“Okay, let’s hit it, chica!” I said, strapping Mia into her stroller, making her giggle.
“I want sunglasses!” she cried when I slipped on my brown plastic American Eagle shades. I rummaged through the suitcase Felix had packed for her and, surprisingly, found some Mia-sized glasses for her. I slid them on Mia’s face and we headed out the door.
Halfway through the Aquarium, a young girl asked if she could have an autograph and a picture with me. “Well, of course!” I said. I on a bench and the girl’s mother took a picture of the two of us. I pulled my camera out of my purse and asked if her mother would take a picture of me and Mia. Mia hopped off the bench and I knelt down, and Mia stood between my legs, with the most adorable, huge smile on her face.
“Thanks so much!” I said, taking my camera and giving the little girl one last hug.
Later that night, after a fun day at the aquarium and a home-cooked dinner that Mia helped me make, I changed Mia into her pink castle-print pajamas and tucked her into bed. Then I poured myself a glass of red wine and watched the news. I thought I could stay up until Felix got home, but by 11 I was exhausted, so I slipped into my pajamas, shut the lights out, and fell asleep.
I woke at 1:30 when the sheets rustled next to me. Turning over, I found Felix, climbing into bed next to me.
“Hey, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Felix whispered softly, kissing me.
“How was your trip?” I asked after a big yawn.
“It was good. I missed you, though. Was Mia good for you?”
“Yeah, she was great.” I intertwined my legs with Felix’s and pulled him into a long kiss. “Happy birthday,” I whispered in his ear as he kissed my neck, and let him do whatever he wanted.
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A few weeks later we began full dress rehearsals at the theatre. My costume for the second act weighed over 35 pounds, so it took time for me to adjust my posture and strength to be able to run around the stage and sing without feeling it the next day. By the middle of May the stage was actually set up, so that we could rehearse exactly as it would be on opening night.
When it was time to return to London to begin the final Harry Potter press tour, the rest of the cast and crew wished me luck and I hugged my friends, promising everyone that I would rehearse on my own whenever possible to keep up the pace.
Felix and Mia dropped me off at the airport. Mariella had finally found a place to live and was therefore going to be able to take care of Mia while Felix was on his road tours and I was traveling. By some incredible coincidence, the Mariners were going to be in LA playing the Dodgers for a series at the same time as the Hollywood premiere, so Felix had convinced John McClaren and Chuck Armstrong, the president of the Mariners, to let him take the day off—he wouldn’t be pitching, obviously, just sitting in the dugout watching. Felix was bringing Mia down to LA, too, so that the three of us could go to the premiere together.
I gave Mia a kiss and a hug as Felix pulled my luggage out of the trunk of his car. Then he pulled me into a hug that I hoped would last forever. When he finally let me go, Felix kissed my forehead and said, “Have fun, okay? We’ll see you in LA in a week!” He squeezed my hand and I took my luggage cart and headed inside the airport.
When I landed in London 8 hours later, it was early morning, and Molly picked me up in the arrivals section and took me straight to my house. I had managed to get a lot of sleep on the plane, which was good as she read off my schedule for the next couple of weeks on the ride home. “Today you’re going shopping with Emma, Bonnie, Katie, Nicole, Savannah, and Karigan to find outfits for the premieres, you’re meeting the girls at noon for lunch. I’ve managed to fit you in at many different high end designer boutiques and stores to pick outfits, and you can show up to any of them whenever you wish.” Molly explained, handing me a list of designer shops.
When we got to my house, Molly gave me a hug and promised to see me the next day, when the press coverage was beginning with some TV appearances. I headed inside, as quiet as possible, as the girls were still sleeping. One-by-one, I carried my luggage up the stairs and into my room, where I began unpacking—I knew if I tried to catch a few more hours of sleep, I wouldn’t be able to wake up in time for lunch and shopping.
One by one the girls staggered out of their rooms, bleary-eyed, to see if I was home. “Kellie!” Karigan said quietly, coming into my room when she saw me. “I wasn’t sure if you were home yet!”
I gave Karigan a hug and she went off to get ready for the day. When I was finished unpacking—sorting clothes out for which premiere destination I’d need them for so that I could, of course, re-pack them in the coming days—I headed into my bathroom to shower and get ready.
An hour later I headed downstairs in a sage green-and-white striped AE t-shirt, dark denim Bermudas, a hot pink and purple LOVE tote from American Eagle, and hot pink canvas cork wedges with leather straps. My hair was pulled up into a chic messy bun and I had put some makeup on in case we were stopped by fans or met by paparazzi—a group including me, Emma, Bonnie, and Katie was sure to attract some attention.
At 11:30 we all piled into my car, ready to go shopping. Karigan was wearing a heathered blue trapeze top with a loose crocheted neckline and white Bermuda shorts, Savannah had a light purple peasant blouse with pretty yellow boho-style flower embroidery and a white denim mini skirt, and Nicole had a yellow Swiss dot yellow blouse with ruffles on the front and dark skinny jeans. “Damn, you girls look good!” I said, laughing.
On the way to the restaurant where we were meeting Emma, Bonnie, and Katie, the girls caught me up on life in London. “Well, Brian and I have been talking on the phone a lot, and so have Nicole and Yung! Brian and Yung are friends and they’re thinking about taking a trip out here together in the off-season!” Karigan explained, a big smile spreading across her face.
When we got to the restaurant, Bonnie and Emma were sitting together at a table in the back. They both jumped up to give us hugs when the hostess showed us to the table. Bonnie was wearing a cute navy blue cashmere asymmetrical-button cardigan and distressed jeans, and Emma was wearing a light pink striped button-down with the short sleeves rolled up and a softly pleated white eyelet mini skirt.
Just as we finished hugging, Katie showed up, causing another round of greetings and hugs. She was wearing a maroon zip-up hoodie and dark denim cuffed shorts. When we all sat down Katie said, “I’m so sorry I was late…things got a little crazy this morning.” Katie paused, and then lowered her voice and said, “Okay, I might as well tell you now…I’m pregnant!” Katie said.
“Oh my gosh!” I cried. The other girls made equally excited squeals and comments all at once.
“Congratulations!” Bonnie cried out, “When are you due?” she added, softly, so that nobody sitting nearby would hear.
“I’m 3 months right now, and I’m due in November!” Katie whispered. We all squealed in delight again.
“I’m starting to show, though, so basically everything I’m wearing for the entire tour is loose, flowey, or empire-waist. Gossip magazines catch on to things like that very fast, so hopefully they won’t start wondering if I’m pregnant already! We’re waiting a while to make the public announcement.”
We spent the rest of lunch talking about Katie and Dan’s plans in preparation for their baby. When it was time to pay the bill and leave, we headed to Dior for our first appointment. A stylist helped us pick out dresses and gowns, and we all headed into the dressing room to try them on. Nicole, Karigan, and Savannah were going to both the London and Paris premieres this year, so they, too, were looking for multiple dresses—just not six, as the rest of us.
After stopping off at Prada, Missoni, Marchesa, Reem Acra, and many other great stores, we made our final stop-off at Elie Saab. As we browsed the store, the stylist approached us and said, “Ladies, Elie is actually in today, and when he heard you were here, he said he’d be right down to see you.”
When Elie came down the stairs from his office, he double-kissed me and then I introduced him to the rest of the girls. Katie explained her situation to Elie, needing to cover her bump, and he said ecstatically, “Darling, I can make you look sexy no matter what!” and began pulling dresses off the racks. They finally decided on a gorgeous black sequined one with a big black bow at the waist to hide her bump.
When it was time to head home for the day, we all hugged Elie and thanked him. “Elie, thank you so much, once again, for the gown you made for me! I’ve never felt more beautiful in my life!” I said, referring to the gown he’d made me for the Oscars.
“Darling, it was a pleasure! You’re my favorite little model. My doors are always open for you and your friends,” Elie said, giving me one last hug and then seeing us off.
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The following morning I was up bright and early for our interview on CBBC Newsround. Molly had brought over my outfit the night before, which had once again been picked by the show—they had contracts with certain designers and therefore every guest had to wear a certain designer’s clothes.
After showering and doing my hair in soft waves, I unzipped the garment bag for the first time. Instead of the usual DKNY ensemble, this time I had a gorgeous yellow silk Nanette Lepore blouse that gathered at the bust and had ruched cap sleeves, with slim grey lightly pinstriped trousers. There were no shoes with the outfit, so I rummaged around my closet, eventually picking out a pair of white peep-toe leather pumps.
The limo showed up right on time, and I said goodbye to the girls and climbed in. Katie, Bonnie, and Emma were already inside, and we chatted on the way to the studio downtown. When we finally got to the studio, we headed straight to the set to wait for our cue. Standing around waiting to be ushered onto the set, I got my first full look at the girls, who all looked gorgeous. Katie was wearing white wide-leg pants and a black sequined tank top that effectively hid her bump. Bonnie was wearing a pretty draped black halter top and white Bermuda shorts, and Emma was wearing a magenta satin pleated blouse with dark denim trousers.
“Okay, ladies, you’re on in five, four, three, two, go!” The director whispered to us. John Stein had been introducing us and at that very moment, the music turned on, the crowd cheered, and we all shuffled out onto the set, giving John hugs and sitting together on the slightly crowded white couch.
“Wow, so this is the last time you ladies will be here to promote a Harry Potter film!” John exclaimed as we settled into the couch.
“Yeah! We’re so sad, because we’ve just become the best of friends in the past few years.” Bonnie said in reply.
“Emma, you’ve been doing this for, what, ten years? How does it feel to be on your 7th and final press tour for these films?” John asked
“It’s nearly ten years now since I was first cast, and it’s really upsetting!” Emma said with a laugh, “For the past ten years I’ve had everything set out in the future—I knew I’d have another movie after each one wrapped, so I always felt secure. Now I feel like I’m being thrown out into the world of film and I’ve got to just hope and pray that I’ll get opportunities to continue acting.”
“Now, Kellie, you’ve made a lot of changes since you finished filming. You moved out of the country! What’s in store for you right now?” John asked, turning to me.
“Yeah, I moved to Seattle in February, a few weeks after I wrapped, and now I’ve got one of the two lead roles in the Seattle Theatre production of the musical Wicked, and I’m just kind of taking things in stride. Once that’s over in September, who knows? Maybe I’ll do more theatre; maybe I’ll do a film. It’s all just a matter of what opportunities come up.” I said.
“Katie? Any plans after the tour’s over?” John asked.
“Well, I think I’m going to take it easy for a month or two,” Katie said, smiling—we all knew it would be more than a couple months, but she couldn’t say anything too obvious—and then she added, “but after that I’d like to do comedy. The character of Cho is so tragic, she’s never a very happy girl, so I’d like to do something on the opposite end of the spectrum.”
“And Bonnie, do you have anything lined up yet?” John asked.
“Yeah, I’ve taken a part in a film called Glass Slipper, we start filming in July.”
“And what is Glass Slipper about?” John asked.
“It’s about a girl that’s quite the opposite of Cinderella. She’s called Maria and she has this wonderful life, lives in a rich apartment, and then everything starts crashing down around her, and there’s all these wonderful parallels to the story of Cinderella. It’s going to be fabulous—the moment I read the script, I knew I had to have the part!” Bonnie explained.
John asked a few more questions in regards to the actual Deathly Hallows film, and then he cut out for commercial and we headed back off the set. It was a quick car ride to the park where the cast photo call was taking places. There were tents set up for us to change in, and on the other side, the press was waiting to take our photos.
“Katie, hon, you’re doing a wonderful job of hiding your bump!” I said as she slipped on a white lace blouse that hung loosely and was fastened by gorgeous violet satin ribbon at the hem and the square neck, which she paired with white skinny jeans, all from Valentino.
“Thanks! I love your dress…and those shoes!” Katie said, giggling. I was wearing a black cotton faux-wrap dress with a deep-V collar and a softly gathered skirt. The dress was from Narciso Rodriguez, and I had paired it with the sexiest little Manolos, black satin with a burst of turquoise feathers on the toe.
When Emma had changed into her white silk mini peasant dress with yellow floral print from Roberto Cavalli and Bonnie had donned a green satin Marc Jacobs trench and black skinny jeans, we checked our appearances in the mirror and then joined Dan, Matt, and Rupert in the other section of the tent, where they, too, had finished changing. One by one we were called by name to go out to the area sectioned off for our photos. It was in front of an old stone building, and we were to stand between two gargoyles. When I was called out, I stood on the little green X that indicated my spot between Rupert and Katie. We posed for nearly a half hour, in different combinations, and then finally we were escorted back to the tents, where we gathered our things and went to the limo again. I chose to stay in my dress, and when the driver dropped me off at home I said, “Bye, girls! See you tomorrow!” for the premiere was the following evening.
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Nicole, Karigan, and I had spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready for the premiere together. We got facials and massages, manicures and pedicures; we got waxed in all the right places and made sure we had our final touches on our outfits. Because of this, we simply needed to have our hair and makeup done in preparation the premiere the following afternoon.
As we sat in chairs at the spa having our hair done, we chatted about the premiere. “The London premiere is always a huge deal, you guys will love it!” I said, “And the after-party is bomb.”
We headed home after having our makeup done and got dressed for the premiere. “The limo will be here in five minutes!” I called out from my bedroom doorway as I got ready. When it arrived, Karigan, Nicole and I climbed in one-by-one and headed to the Odeon Theatre—Savannah was being picked up by Tom in a separate car.
When the limo pulled up in front of the beginning of the red carpet, it stopped and the door swung open. Nicole, dressed in a summery turquoise chiffon Malandrino halter with monotone flowers at the hem, a silver cuff with turquoise and clear stones, and white strappy cork wedges, climbed out first. Karigan hopped out next, wearing a pretty pink leopard-print strapless dress with a wide pink waist-cinching belt, white point-toe pumps, a gold necklace with a wing pendant, and a turquoise leather Prada clutch.
I finally stepped out, my hot pink satin peep-toe hitting the red carpet. When I stood up straight, adjusting the ruffled mini skirt of my hot pink chiffon dress with gold flower print, I heard cheers erupt around me. I smiled and stepped forward with the girls as the limo drove away. I had paired four stackable gold-and-diamond rings, a gold woven cuff, and a gold crystal-encrusted clutch with my outfit, and my soft waves rested on my shoulders.
“London is so much better than the US premieres!” Nicole cried as we walked down the carpet. We posed for a few pictures—the girls were quite well-known among the avid fans, since they had gone to four past premieres—and then I went off to do some interviews and they headed inside. I looked around before heading to the reporters to see who was around. A little way ahead of me on the carpet, conducting an interview with BBC News, Emma was wearing a pretty Missoni sundress of colorful sun-drenched stripes with a light cream woven leather belt. She looked bright and happy, and a little past her I could see Matt—they had been dating for quite a while now.
I started talking to ITV about everything from the film to the future, then moved on to do interviews with Teen Vogue, InStyle, and BBC. I stopped one more time for pictures at the end of the carpet, and then went to sign autographs. Looking up from a book that I signed, I spotted none other than Madonna about ten feet away, wearing a grey-green Versace sheath and black pumps, holding the hand of her young daughter, Lourdes. As she came along, the crowd of fans began screaming her name over and over, and I laughed—I wasn’t sure if I could handle that level of screaming; I thought the loud screaming I got at premieres was quiet enough, thank you.
I headed inside where there was more exclusive press waiting for interviews. I posed for some pictures with the girls again, then a few with Emma and Katie. Katie had adequately covered her pregnancy bump in a pretty light blue drop-waist dress from Prada that hung loosely over her stomach.
I moved along to do an interview with the woman hosting the live worldwide webcast of the premiere. “Hey!” I said, giving her a hug as I approached.
“Kellie! Lovely to see you, dear. You look just stunning tonight, what are you wearing?” She asked
“Ah, well the dress is Marchesa, the rings and bracelet are Kenneth Jay Lane, and the clutch is Leiber” I explained, holding my purse up.
“Wonderful! Well you’ve pulled it together really well. How have things been going for you since you finished filming the final Harry Potter film?” she asked, putting an emphasis on the word ‘final’.
“Oh, it’s been really great! Crazy. I moved to Seattle, actually; I’ve still got my home in London because I love it here, but I’ve got an apartment in Seattle that I’m living in now. I’m actually going to be in the Seattle Theatre production of Wicked starting next month, so I’ve been super busy with rehearsals and fittings and everything.” I gushed.
“Ah, yes, you’re going to be in a musical! How fun! It’s probably so different from doing a film, right?”
“Yeah! I was so blown away by all the work that’s put into producing a musical. When you see Wicked on Broadway—you can appreciate the vast, um…just how epic it is, but you don’t realize the months and months of work it takes to get it perfect.”
“Exactly. Moving on the subject of Luna, give us a little summary of her situation in this film,” she suggested.
“Well, Luna’s in a bit of a tragic situation in this film. She gets kidnapped by Death Eaters and she’s locked in a cellar for a long time. What I love about her, though, is that despite everything that happens, her fun, quirky personality is always with her—obviously it’s a bit muted, but it’s still there. I picked up on that a lot in the book so I really wanted to highlight that whenever possible.”
“Sounds great! Well I can’t wait to see the film, I’m sure everybody will be looking out for Luna’s scenes now. Before you go, when is opening night of Wicked, then?”
“June 15th! It’s getting so close, so I’m half-nervous, half-ecstatic!” I said.
I finally finished with all of the interviews and headed into the cocktail room. I found Nicole and Karigan talking to Savannah and Tom. Savannah was wearing a gorgeous dark teal chiffon dress with ruching at the sweetheart neckline and soft ruffles at the skirt. She had paired it with black suede peep-toe pumps, large crystal drop earrings, and a black sequined clutch.
Looking around to find more people, I spotted Bonnie walking over with James. She wear wearing a light grey cotton dress with red and white striped straps and a matching bow at the bust. “Hey, you look cute! Everybody is so summery tonight, I love it!” I said, giving Bonnie and then James a hug.
“You look adorable, too! Look at that little skirt, I love it!” Bonnie said.
We all talked for a while, drinking martinis and looking around to see who else was at the premiere, when Rupert walked up holding hands with a dark-haired girl. When they came into full view, the girl—wearing a turquoise cotton boat-neck dress with an empire waist and pretty white embroidery—turned out to be the singer Lily Allen.
“Hey, Rupert!” I said, giving him a quick hug, “How have you been?”
“I’m great, how about you?” He asked.
“Fantastic. It’s nice to be back in London for a little while, to see everyone again. I’ve missed you guys!” I said, laughing.
“We missed you too. Hey, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Lily Allen.” Lily stepped forward and smiled.
“Hi, Kellie! It’s great to meet you!” she said, a friendly smile on her face, as we shook hands.
When it came time to pose for pictures with the whole cast, Rupert, Bonnie and I headed up to the stage, meeting Bonnie, Katie, Emma, and Dan up there. As we stood posing for pictures and chatting, I poked Rupert’s shoulder. “Hey, you’re dating Lily Allen,” I said, “Go you! She’s gorgeous.”
“Thanks. I’m glad you’re cool with that. How about you and that baseball player? You two seem really happy. I saw the picture of you with his daughter at the aquarium; she looks like she loves you!” Rupert said.
“Oh, Mia! She’s like my own daughter. I love her so much.” I said, smiling as I wondered inside what Felix and Mia were up to at that very moment.
We finally headed into the theatre to watch the movie. I sat between Nicole and Karigan, with Savannah and Tom next to Karigan and Katie and Dan next to Nicole. Halfway through the movie I felt my phone vibrate and decided that was a good time to use the restroom. Carefully walking in front of everyone to the end of the row, I headed out to the lobby and into the women’s bathroom. I opened my clutch and pulled out my Blackberry to find a text message from Felix. It read, “Mia and I looked at pictures of you online. You look beautiful! Love you, F.” I smiled and decided to call Felix, as I wasn’t sure when the next chance would be.
“Hey, baby! How’s it going?” I asked when Felix answered.
“Hey! We’re great, what about you? Are you still at the premiere?” Felix asked. Mia was singing in the background and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Yeah, I just stepped out to use the restroom. I miss you both!” I said, leaning against the marble countertop.
“We miss you, too,” Felix said, then called to Mia, “Mia, baby, come say hi to Kellie!”
I smiled to myself as I talked to both Mia and Felix. “Well, I should get back to the movie. I’ll call you when I’m in Paris, and I can’t wait to see you both in LA!” I said at last, reluctant to hang up. “I love you, baby.”
After the film was over, we all got in our limos—Nicole, Karigan, and Savannah rode with me—and headed to the after party. Warner Bros. had bought out one of the trendiest nightclubs in London, a place called March, and the entire cast and all of the premiere guests went to the party. I sat in a booth with Nicole, Karigan, Katie, Dan, and Matt.
“A reporter asked me if I’m expecting,” Katie announced as we chatted and ate appetizers.
“Oh no!” Karigan said, “What did you say?”
Katie laughed. “I just got this terrified look on my face and said, ‘oh, do I look fat in this dress?!’” We all burst out in peels of laughter when she said this. “It was a guy, so he just looked mortified and said, ‘No further questions!’”
As we recovered from our hysterical laughter, Katie lowered her voice and said, “This is bad, though...I’m trying to cover it and someone still noticed!”
“Oh, Katie, don’t worry about it! He’s a guy, and men are the last people to notice something like a little baby bump—no offense, boys,” I said to Matt and Dan with a laugh, “If it was noticeable, everyone would’ve been asking you. That reporter was just throwing the question out there to stir things up and see what you might say,” I said, reassuring her.
“Yeah, you did an awesome job of hiding it,” Nicole added.
Katie seemed much happier after that, and she and Dan headed off to dance together. Savannah and Tom came over and filled the empty space. “It’s so hot!” Savannah said, fanning herself with a paper. They had obviously been dancing.
I surveyed the surrounding tables to see if I knew anyone nearby, and I spotted Lily and Rupert sitting with their heads together, having what looked like an important talk. I smiled to myself hoping Lily would make Rupert happy. A few moments later, I saw Lily walk by our table to the restroom, and Rupert approached us.
“Hey, Rupert!” We all chimed together.
“Hey, guys, how’s it going?” Rupert said half-heartedly and added, before we could reply, “Kellie, can I talk to you really quickly?”
I scooted out of the booth, adjusted my dress, and followed Rupert to a secluded, empty couch near the back of the club. “What’s up?” I asked as we sat down.
“I…it’s Lily. We’d never really talked about…well, you and me. She knew we had dated, but that was about as far as we got,” Rupert began. He glanced toward the women’s loo and then continued, “Well, she asked me tonight, and I just wanted to tell her everything, no secrets. So I even told her about when I…when I became a real ass last July. Obviously you remember,” Rupert added, smiling faintly.
“Vaguely,” I said, giving him an understanding smile.
“Well, Lily got pretty upset about that. She said that I shouldn’t have treated you that way and that she doesn’t know if she can be with someone that could do that to a girl after a year-long relationship. Then she just kind of stormed off.”
“Ooh, that’s tough,” I said, trying to think of a way to help the situation.
“I didn’t even get the chance to tell her how sorry I am for what I did to you,” Rupert’s voice softened when he said it. “Because I really am sorry…”
“I know, Rupert, and you know I forgave you. Listen up, I’ll have a chat with Lily and see if I can’t turn her around.”
“Thank you, Kellie. You’re an angel!” Rupert said. He gave me a hug and I headed to the loo to find Lily.
“Oh, hey Lily!” I said nonchalantly when I spotted her washing her hands.
“Oh, Kellie…Hi,” she said sheepishly, drying her hands with a towel, “I was actually just leaving…”
“Oh, okay. Well…let me walk you out, okay?” Lily agreed and we headed through the crowded club toward the exit. When we got out into the fresh air, Lily sent a text to her driver and we waited for him to come get her.
“So…Rupert seems really happy,” I began.
“Oh…yes, well, it’s always that way in the early stages of a relationship, isn’t it?” Lily said, letting a small smile creep across her face.
“Yeah, definitely,” I agreed. My thoughts floated off to Seattle, but I quickly snapped back to our conversation. “Well, anyway, I know Rupert did some stupid things when we were together, but he really is a great guy.”
“I…I just don’t see how I can be with someone who’s so open about having done something so rude to a long-term girlfriend!” Lily cried. She sighed, took out a cigarette, and lit up. “Fag?” She offered, holding one out to me.
“No thanks, I don’t smoke.” I waited a moment and said, “Rupert was open about what he did because he wanted to tell you everything and not keep any secrets about it. He’s sorry for what he did, and he knows what a…well, what an asshole he was at the time.”
“Well, that’s just not good enough if you ask me…he shouldn’t have done it in the first place,” Lily said. Her car pulled up and we both stood up.
“Lily…Rupert apologized to me for what he did and I forgave him. We’ve both put it behind us and moved on. If that’s not good enough for you, then…well, I guess there’s nothing else I can say to help the two of you.” I took a deep breath, then turned and headed inside.
Rupert caught me near the dance floor, a hopeful look on his face. I sighed, reluctant to tell him what had happened, but before I even had to, Rupert’s face lit up as he looked over my shoulder. I turned around and saw Lily pushing through the doorway, a huge smile on her face.
“Kellie, you were right. Rupert…I’ll take you just as you are!” Lily said, and I sighed with relief as Rupert pulled her into a kiss.
When we left the party at 2am, we headed to the private airport and boarded our jet to Paris. I had changed in the bathroom into a comfy thin mint-green cowl-neck sweater and jeans and settled into my seat, ready to get as much sleep as possible on the short flight.
When we got into Paris, a car whisked us away to the hotel. Nicole, Savannah, Karigan and I had asked for a suite so we could all stay together. As soon as we got to the room, we collapsed into our beds, the early morning light beginning to seep through the drapes as we fell asleep.
I woke up around 10 to get ready for the day. We had an early afternoon press event in which Bonnie, Emma, Katie, Dan, Rupert and Matt and I would go to a venue to pose for promotional pictures, sign autographs, and talk to the press about the film. Then I had an interview with a French fashion magazine with the girls, an appointment at Reem Acra to pick up the dress they had reserved for the premiere, and it was time to get ready for the premiere.
A hair stylist and makeup artist showed up to the room and helped me get ready. The stylist did my hair in a very cute and sexy messy updo pulled together with a navy blue satin ribbon tied as a headband. The makeup artist gave me bronze eyes and nude lips appropriate for day, and I dressed in a silk pleated dress with a navy bodice, an apple-green waist, and a plum skirt.
“Okay, girls, I’ll be back in a couple hours!” I called to the girls as I left. They were just getting up, and I wouldn’t be seeing them until I returned before the premiere. I met Emma and Matt in the lobby and we waited for everyone else to arrive. Emma was wearing a pretty chiffon mini dress with a tribal print in turquoise, pale orange, and yellow.
Katie and Dan showed up, Katie wearing a billowy turquoise cotton tunic with white embroidery paired with fierce white skinny jeans and nude leather pumps.
“Katie, you look fierce!” I said, hugging her, “And just so you know, nobody will notice!” I added in a whisper
Bonnie headed downstairs a few minutes later, a huge smile on her face. I was just about to compliment her on her stylish outfit, a very pale blue silk dress with a blue-grey dip-dyed bubble skirt and a long black cardigan belted over it, but Bonnie looked like she had something important to say.
She pulled me aside along with Katie and Emma and whispered, “James just proposed!” Bonnie flashed a huge platinum diamond ring resting on her left hand.
We all screeched and congratulated her, “Oh Bonnie! That’s awesome!” Katie said, hugging her.
“Looks like it’s just you and me left,” Emma said, laughing, as we rejoined the guys. Rupert had joined the group while we were away, and we all headed out to the huge stretch limo waiting outside for us.
“Yeah, and we’re all under 25!” I said, then added, “I can definitely see me and Felix getting married…”
“Really? Oh, I can’t wait to meet him in LA!” Bonnie said as we rode to the venue.
“I can’t wait for you to meet him,” I said, “And Mia. She’s the sweetest little girl in the world.”
When we got to the venue, we interacted with the French press for about 45 minutes, taking pictures, signing autographs, and giving interviews through translators—except for Rupert, who spoke fluently, and Emma, who was born in France and naturally spoke the language. Afterwards, I was put in a limo along with the girls for our French Vogue interview, while the guys went off to other separate interviews. We talked about our fabulous premiere outfits, how we chose our day-to-day outfits, and the beauty of French fashion.
When we left the interview, we were ushered into three separate cars—Emma and Bonnie headed off to Dior, while Katie was picking up her dress at Naeem Khan. My driver stopped at the hotel and we picked up Nicole, Savannah, and Karigan. I had made arrangements with various designers to loan them fabulous dresses as well, so we had to pick up all of our premiere outfits quickly.
We first stopped at Reem Acra, where Savannah and I picked up our dresses. Then it was on to Mandalay for Nicole’s dress and finally the Monique Lhullier boutique for Karigan.
We went to the salon WB had rented out for us and met Bonnie, Emma, and Katie to get ready for the premiere. I was wearing my hair the same for the premiere as I had to the event, so I had my stylist fix it up and change the navy blue headband out for a white satin ribbon. I had a manicure and pedicure and had my makeup done with darker smoky bronze eyes for the evening.
“Okay, I’m going to get dressed!” I said when we got back to the hotel, bringing my garment bag into my bedroom with me. I zipped myself into the royal blue floor-length silk chiffon gown with a pleated cinched waist, straightening it out as I stood in front of the floor-length mirror. The gown had a deep V neckline with bronze embellishments, and I secured it with double-stick tape so I wouldn’t have any tabloid-cover mishaps.
I slipped on metallic bronze pumps and a sterling silver and bronze cuff, grabbed my lip gloss, and walked out to the main room. Savannah had changed into her dress, a beautiful black strapless chiffon dress that hit just below the knees and had embellishments at the bust, which she wore with black peep-toe suede pumps.
“Oh my gosh, you look so cute!” I said.
“So do you!” Savannah said. Karigan came out of the bathroom in a gorgeous teal chiffon draped gown with a gathered sweetheart neckline, which she paired with nude raw-edged satin peep-toes and a large three-stone ring on her middle finger with pale yellow and pale pink stones.
“Okay guys! I need help zipping up, I can’t reach!” Nicole called from the other bedroom. She came out holding up her beautiful dress, which was a nude curve-hugging number with pink and nude floral embroidery. Karigan zipped it up and then Nicole slipped into a pair of pale gold satin peep-toes.
“Well, sexy ladies, ready to hit the red carpet?” I asked, laughing. We all headed downstairs, where the limos were waiting. Savannah went off with Tom in their limo, and Nicole and Karigan climbed in with me.
When we got to the premiere, the red carpet was waiting for us. It was something I had done so many times before, but this was the first time I had stepped out of a car at the Paris premiere without Rupert by my side. Nicole and Savannah and I began our trek down the red carpet. The girls had become mini-celebrities among the Harry Potter fandom from their frequent premiere appearances, so we all got to walk the carpet together. They even got a few interviews, which they were very excited about.
When we finally headed inside, Nicole said, “That was awesome! I only understood 50% of what people were saying to me…but it was awesome!”
We spotted Tom, Rupert, Bonnie and James standing together nearby, so the four of us bustled over and joined them. Bonnie was wearing a gorgeous lilac satin floor-length column gown with a button-down side. She was clutching a silver purse and her diamond engagement ring was showing.
“Ooh, you’re showing off your ring!” Nicole exclaimed, admiring it.
“Yeah, we’re too excited to wait!” Bonnie said, smiling. As we were talking, Emma and Matt arrived. Emma was wearing a gauzy pale pink dress with white lace that gathered at the front. She wore gorgeous pink suede pumps and a huge smile on her face.
“Hey guys! I just saw Katie on the carpet, so she and Dan should be in soon. You all look gorgeous,” she added, taking in the sight of all of us.
“So do you!” Bonnie said.
Katie and Dan joined us, and Rupert, Dan, Tom, James, and Matt all went off while we talked about dresses and weddings. Katie was wearing a gorgeous gold lace Elie Saab dress with a v-neck and gathering below the bust that covered her pregnant stomach. She wore maroon suede peep-toes with little rosettes and her hair was curled and pinned up.
When it was time for the film, we all took our seats in the theatre. It was dubbed in French, so while it was initially funny to listen to the French version of my lines, it got quite old fast. We were all relieved when the credits finally rolled.
At the after party I ran into Clémence, wearing a cream jacquard shift dress with deep pewter pumps, her blonde hair flowing at her back.
“Hello, Kellie, how are you?” She asked, giving me a hug.
“I’m fantastic, thanks! I love your dress!” Clemence and I got drinks and talked for a few minutes before I went back to the table Nicole, Karigan, and Savannah were sitting at. We had a blast through the rest of the party dancing, taking the occasional shot, and toasting to James and Bonnie’s engagement, the success of the movie, and our future careers. When we finally spilled out of the limos and into our hotel rooms, we all crashed right away.
----------------------------------------
“I love you guys! I promise I’ll visit soon,” I said the next morning at the airport, where I shared hugs with Nicole, Karigan, and Savannah. We were about to part ways, the girls getting on a flight back to London and the rest of us going to our jet to head over to New York City.
“This is the first time I’ll be in New York for a premiere without the girls,” I noted to Tom as we sat on the plane. I was more upset than I had expected to be.
“You’ll be all right, don’t worry,” Tom said reassuringly.
“I know I will…I’m just sad because I don’t know when I’ll see them next. In the past there’s always been a set time we’d see each other again. Now I have no idea.”
I finally chose to let out my feelings by working on a new song. I had quite enjoyed writing my own music lately, and I was getting a lot of practice in with my singing for Wicked. When I was finished with the brand new song, I closed my notebook, leaned my chair back, and went to sleep.
When we arrived in New York City, it was hot and humid. I pulled my hair into a ponytail to get it off my neck and followed everyone else off the plane. I had changed into a very comfortable maroon smocked cotton tank top with a pink bow at the waist, my favorite jeans, and grey and pink suede sneakers. I slipped on a pair of silver square hoop earrings and my plastic-rimmed aviators and got ready to hit the streets.
When we got to the hotel, I called Felix and chatted with him for a little bit, but we had to end our conversation shortly after because he was preparing for a game in Houston. I met the girls downstairs and we went out to lunch at a nearby restaurant. Katie was eating up a storm, which Bonnie pointed out jokingly.
“I know! I’ve been craving everything lately!” Katie said, patting her stomach. She was wearing a soft sage cotton cami that had a slight give at the waist so that it looked like just another billowy empire waist top, which she had paired with black pants. Katie had the most beautiful glow about her and she was somehow even more gorgeous now that she was pregnant than she had been before.
-------------------------------------
The following evening I stood in front of the mirror in my hotel room, checking my appearance one more time before heading off to the premiere. I was wearing the sexiest royal purple strapless dress, in smooth duchesse satin that was fitted like a corset. My hair rested in voluptuous curls at my shoulders and they framed a pair of onyx earrings surrounded by diamonds. I wore a matching silver bracelet that wrapped around my wrist and had a single large Onyx stone at the end. I re-applied some lipstick and slipped on the pair of Dolce & Gabbana dark suede heels I had picked out for the outfit.
“Ready?” Emma asked—she and I had gotten ready together in my room.
“Yeah, let’s go!” I said, picking up my metallic grey crocodile clutch and following Emma out the door. She was wearing a gorgeous black chiffon floor-length gown with a deep V neck that was lined with beaded silver tulle.
Emma and I separated outside when we each got into our limos—me alone and Emma with Matt—and headed to the premiere. When I stepped out of the car at the theatre, there was a huge crowd of fans waiting. I brushed a strand of hair out of my face and headed towards one side of the red carpet to start signing autographs. I was excited to see that one fan held up a promotional picture of me dressed in full costume for Wicked.
“Kellie, I’m from Seattle, and I can’t wait for you to be in Wicked! I’m going to go on opening night!” She cried as I signed the photo. “You’re my favorite actress, and Wicked is my favorite musical!”
“That’s so awesome! Well, I can’t wait for Wicked to start, either. Maybe I’ll see you at the show!” I said, smiling. The girl had an ecstatic look on her face as I moved on to sign more autographs.
When I moved on to the reporters’ section, the first reporter shocked me. It was a tall balding man, and he held out the latest issue of a weekly tabloid in front of me. On the cover was a picture of Katie at the Paris premiere, side profile, and the headline, “Is Katie Pregnant?!”
“Kellie, what do you think of the latest tabloid that came out today?” The reporter asked. I realized my mouth was hanging open, and I hurried to regain composure.
“Oh, poor Katie! She’s super fit, and one billowing dress starts some silly pregnancy rumors!” I said, keeping a smile on my face. “I always feel bad when this happens to celebrities.”
“So Katie Leung is not pregnant?” The reporter asked, shoving the microphone back in my face.
“What a silly question—didn’t I already clear that up?” I said, smiling and hurrying to the next reporter. I had managed to get myself out of a sticky situation, but I wasn’t sure how much more of it I could handle.
“Hey, Kellie, I’m here for Perezhilton.com. Anything you’d like to say to your fans?” A petite girl with plastic-rimmed glasses asked.
“Oh, Perez! Um, I’d like to say, ‘hello, you guys are awesome! Thanks for sticking by me!’”
“So you’re a fan of Perez?” The girl asked
“Perez is hilarious! Of course I hope I’m never picked on there because I must admit he’s quite ruthless, but it’s fun to read his blog once in a while. Here’s hoping I stay on his good side!” I winked into the camera and moved on. I was getting much better at breezing through reporters, saying something nice about the film and then moving on. If I stayed too long, mundane, boring questions—or even awkward ones—would come up, and I really just wanted to get on with the premiere.
When I got to the end of the red carpet, I found Emma once again. Katie had been a few yards behind me on the carpet, and when she met up with us, we all went to get drinks and chat. Katie was wearing a black sequined mini dress with a large black bow right over her belly, but she looked worried as she ordered a glass of ice water. “Did you guys hear about the tabloid? They noticed my bump!” she whispered as we found a secluded bench and sat down together.
“One reporter asked me about it, but I managed to avert the problem. I told him that I felt bad for you, because you’re super thin, but one billowy dress and suddenly there’s rumors that you’re pregnant. I made him feel bad!” I said, laughing.
“I was completely shocked! A fan asked me to sign the tabloid!” Katie said, a horrified look on her face.
“What did you do?” Emma asked, sipping a gin and tonic.
“Well, I said, ‘sorry, I can’t sign that!’ I felt bad, but I took a picture with her to make up for it so I don’t think she was too hurt,” Katie explained.
We all agreed that it was a smart decision, and went on to find Bonnie. She was looking fierce in a black corset top and slim leopard print pencil skirt from Dolce & Gabbana. The premiere whisked by, and we all headed out to a nightclub afterwards to celebrate. Katie and Dan checked out early, as Katie was tired and her feet were sore. When the rest of us headed back to the hotel, Emma and I walked up to the room we shared. We were nearly there when her cell phone rang, and when Emma hung up, she smiled sheepishly and said, “Erm…that was Matt, and…” she trailed off and smiled again.
“Go ahead, hon! I’ll see you in the morning.” I winked and continued to the room as she headed back for the elevator to meet Matt in his room.
When we finally arrived in LA, I couldn’t have been more excited. It had been almost two weeks since I’d seen Felix, and I was getting antsy. I wore a plum cotton dress with tan leather flat sandals and aviators pushed back on my head, and as we walked through the crowded LAX, I was looking everywhere, trying to spot Felix and Mia.
“Is that him?” Bonnie asked, pointing ahead to our left. I spotted Felix, who was looking around for us. He was pushing Mia in a stroller, and when he looked towards us, we locked eyes.
“Yes!” I cried, hurrying forward.
“Hey, baby!” Felix said, pulling me into a warm hug. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered in my ear.
I quickly introduced Felix to the rest of the group, and they welcomed him happily. As we headed out to the cars waiting for us, Katie scooted up by my side and said, “Hey, I was thinking…you and Felix would probably like some alone time, and Dan and I wouldn’t mind watching Mia tonight if you’d like!”
“Oh, Katie, are you sure?” I asked
She squeezed my hand and smiled, saying, “We could use all the practice we can get right now. Mia seems like a sweetheart, and you deserve to have some fun tonight!”
I told Felix the plan and he gladly agreed. When we got to the hotel, we brought Mia to Dan and Katie’s room. Katie had changed from her billowy top into a slim cotton t-shirt once we had arrived, and her bump was more prominent than ever. Felix congratulated Dan and Katie when I told him the news, and then we walked back up to our room hand-in-hand. Rather than going out to dinner or a club, we spent the evening in our room. We spent the evening eating room service and drinking champagne in bed.
Felix kissed my hair, my ears, my jaw, and my nose. “I missed having you with me,” he said, resting his head on my shoulders
“I missed you, too, baby. I love you,” I whispered.
The following morning I woke up in Felix’s arms, and I couldn’t be happier. I quickly showered and dressed in some comfortable wide-leg dark sailor jeans, a crisp white pin-tucked sleeveless blouse, and brown leather flats with little leather flowers on the front. Felix and I headed down to Katie and Dan’s room, thanked them a million times for watching Mia overnight, and went out for breakfast. Katie had dressed Mia in the outfit I’d left with her, a baby blue and white striped shirt-dress with ruffles along the buttons and light pink baby Converse.
The three of us walked along to the restaurant down the street, Mia walking between me and Felix and holding both of our hands. We passed a news stand on the corner and I unconsciously glanced at the magazine spread out front. I did a double-take and stopped abruptly, my mouth hanging open. I wasn’t looking at the tabloid with Katie on the cover, but one next to it. On the cover were me and Rupert at March after the London premiere, sitting on a couch together and hugging. The headline read, “Magical Couple Back On?”
Felix and Mia stopped just after me and turned around. “What’s wrong?” Felix asked, rubbing my back softly.
“It’s…” I trailed off helplessly. Felix’s eyes scanned the magazine, and he took it out of my hands.
“It’s nothing,” Felix said, looking at me. “You guys are friends, right?”
“Of course, baby. He was having relationship problems with Lily, and I was helping him out. It was just a friendly hug!”
I had been worried that Felix wouldn’t believe me, but I had no reason to fret. He reassured me that he would always take my word over the tabloids, kissed my forehead, and we tossed the magazine back on the shelf and continued to breakfast.
Felix and Mia accompanied me throughout the day to the press events I had scheduled. We made our first stop at Rachel Ray, where I slipped into a slim dark denim Betsey Johnson dress, a berry cardigan, gold quilted pumps, and a stack of turquoise bead bracelets. Just before I went on, I kissed Mia and Felix and they wished me good luck. Then I stepped into the stage elevator and waited to be ‘lowered’ to the set.
“Kellie! Welcome back,” Rachel said, giving me a hug and leading me back to the stage. “You look adorable today, by the way! Do you have a stylist that helps you pick these outfits out?”
“Oh, thanks! No, I don’t have a stylist actually. I just pick out cute things and make it all work together, I guess. I think with a stylist, it would just get to a level where…I’m not even making my own wardrobe choices, you know?”
“Absolutely. So tell me, what are you wearing?” Rachel asked, pouring me a glass of water.
“Okay!” I looked down at my outfit and then said, “This is a Betsey Johnson dress, an American Eagle cardigan, Burberry shoes, and Missoni bracelets.”
“Ooh, American Eagle! You’ve got to love the simple stuff!” Rachel said.
We headed over to the kitchen to begin cooking. We were making strawberry gelato, and we discussed everything from baseball to movies to kids. When we went to commercial at the end of my interview, Rachel scooped up gelato for both of us, plus two more dishes. “You said Felix and Mia were backstage, right? Go bring them out real quick for some gelato!”
I hurried backstage and found them sitting side-by-side in armchairs. I brought them out and we sat with Rachel for a minute, eating the gelato we had made—or rather, a different batch of gelato, as our recipe had to freeze for hours. When they came back from commercials, Rachel’s producer had Mia and Felix stay out for the end of my segment.
“Guys, this gelato is absolutely delicious. And we’ve got some special guests here enjoying it with us! This is Felix Hernandez and his adorable daughter Mia! Mia, honey, what do you think of the gelato?”
Mia, who had been happily eating her gelato, suddenly got very shy and scooted up next to me. She set her Gelato on my knees and hugged her arms around me. The audience let out a collective Aww and I smiled. “I think she likes it!” I said.
“Well it was wonderful having you on the show, and Felix, Mia, it was nice to meet you both.” Rachel turned to the camera and said, “When we come back, it’s our summer giveaway! Don’t go away!”
We hurried out to the car waiting outside and headed to the Jay Leno studio. When we got inside, I kissed Mia and Felix and headed off to my dressing room, where I changed into a purple cotton v-neck empire waist top with fabric flowers along the deep V, dark skinny jeans, purple sequined Miu Miu pumps, and large Mother-of-Pearl circular earrings. I did a small French braid on one side of my hair and then pulled it all up into a messy bun and quickly applied some makeup.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve got a guest returning for what I believe is the third time,’ Jay Leno announced to the audience when they returned from a commercial break, “Every time she’s joined us she’s been kind and funny, so we’re always glad to have her back. Here to promote her latest film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and maybe even to sing for us, Kellie Holt!”
The audience cheered and I walked out to the stage. Jay hugged me and then we sat down, Jay behind his desk and me on the couch beside it. “It’s good to have you back!” he said, taking a drink from his coffee mug
“Thanks! I love visiting you, it’s always a good time,” I said, adjusting my top idly and smiling.
“Congratulations on the film, you must be excited—it opened earlier today?” Jay said, reading off of his notes
“Yeah, it’s really exciting!” I said
“And this is number 7, the final film…and it’s made like over 5 billion dollars, these movies, around the world, haven’t they?” Jay asked
I paused and said, “Er, yeah! Some insane amount of money like that!” The crowd laughed softly.
“So what do you have planned beyond this, now that you’re kind of finished with the whole Harry Potter franchise?” Jay asked
“Well, I’m doing the Seattle Theatre production of Wicked which begins next month, and from there, I’d like to do more films, hopefully another musical if something good comes up also!”
“So in the last one everyone gets killed, right?” Jay asked, and the audience laughed.
I giggled, “Well, not quite. I think the millions of Harry Potter fans around the world would be a little disappointed. They might not be JK Rowling’s biggest fans after that…”
“Millions of fans all over the world. Wow.” Jay said, impressed, “Speaking of the world, do you do any traveling?”
“Oh, absolutely. I haven’t had a whole lot of time lately, I recently moved from London to Seattle so I was just getting settled, but I’d love to start traveling again.”
“Where’s the best place you’ve gone?”
“A few years ago a bunch of us from the cast took Dan’s yacht and we took a week-long cruise, and we stopped in Lisbon, Portugal just overnight, but in the morning Bonnie and I snuck out and explored the city for a bit before we left, and it was absolutely beautiful. It’s like one of those cities you see in a postcard—the architecture, the views, the ocean—it’s perfect! I really would love to go back there for more than just a few hours”
“Lisbon is a beautiful city,” Jay agreed
“Yeah! It’s always fun to travel, especially when it’s for fun and not for work. I love doing press tours, but when I don’t have to be at appointments and press conferences and premieres every minute of the day, it’s much more relaxing and fun.”
“So tell us about Harry Potter. Was it hard to realize that you were done forever when you finished filming?”
“Oh my gosh, yeah! I cried big time. Usually we all finish our parts at different points during the months of filming. Obviously Emma, Dan, and Rupert stay the longest, and the rest of us are usually there for 8 of the 9 months. But this time around…everyone was finishing at different points during the filming, and we were suddenly realizing that this could be the last time we’d be working together. It was very emotional.”
“I’ll believe that! It must be nice to be with the cast one last time for this press tour, though?” Jay asked
“Yeah! We’re all really close, and they’re all crazy kids. We have so much fun together. It’s especially cool because, now, Dan and Katie are married, Bonnie’s engaged, and Emma and Matt are dating. It’s really cool to see how much we’ve all grown, even in the last three years since I joined the cast.”
“Are there any pranks or silly things you do during the promotional tour? Do you pull off any rockstar tricks?”
“Ha! Well, we’re all about the pranks on the set, so naturally it spills over into everything we do. It’s all kinds of fun. No crazy rockstar tricks. No Red Shark!” I said, laughing, “But we make sure we have a lot of fun with everything.”
“Well, it’s great to have you on the show! Good luck with everything you do, and make sure you come back to visit us some time!” Jay said
“Well, thank you! I really enjoy being here, so I’ll definitely stop by again!”
“When we come back, Kellie’s going to perform her new single, ‘Thank You For the Music!’”
We took a break for commercial while I headed over to the stage, and when the lights went up on the stage, I began singing. The song got great reception from the audience, and when the lights dimmed again, I headed backstage, all smiles.
“One last stop, Mia!” I promised as she got restless in the backseat of the car on the way to the Jimmy Kimmel set. I slipped into a cobalt blue sequined Bestey Johnson dress and white peep-toe pumps and hurried out to the set. We sped right through the interview—it was a total hit with the audience, right from the start when I said, “So, uh, I heard you’re fucking Ben Affleck?” in reference to a hilarious music video he had made a while back. When we were finished, I changed back into my comfortable outfit from breakfast and Mia, Felix and I left the set.
When we got back to the hotel, I began getting ready for the premiere. I had invited Jen, one of my closest friends still living in Arizona, to come to the premiere, as LA was as close as I’d be getting to Phoenix for a while. She showed up at our hotel room so we could get ready together, and Felix took Mia out to play at the pool outside.
“So how’s your first summer of college going?” I asked as we got mani-pedis in the hotel’s salon. Jennifer had just finished her first year at Northern Arizona University.
“It’s super cool. I’ve been doing absolutely nothing!” Jen said, laughing.
“Nice. Well maybe I’ll come down to Phoenix and harass you sometime soon. Of course you could always come visit me in Seattle, too!”
We headed back up to the hotel room then to get our hair done. “I’d love to go to Seattle, but plane tickets are too damn expensive!” Jen said as we settled down in front of the vanity in the bathroom.
“Well I’ve got a week after this whole tour to rest and whatnot before I have to be back in Seattle for rehearsals. Maybe I’ll get an early flight back to Phoenix and kidnap you, and we can make a little road trip up to Seattle? You can stay at my apartment with me for however long you want. The whole summer, if you want!”
“Ooh, that would be fun! I’ll see if I can!” Jen said.
Within an hour we had our hair and makeup done, and Felix and Mia had returned to get ready. My hair was twisted into pretty, loose curls and my makeup was light, though I had brown smoky eyes. I slipped on my cobalt blue chiffon dress, which had structured boning on the bodice and pretty flutter sleeves. Jen came in the room wearing a powder blue chiffon dress with an adorable collar on the scoop neck. There was a satin ribbon tied in a bow at the empire waist and three little buttons down the front.
“Oh, that’s adorable!” I said, turned around to see her. Jen’s raven-black hair was super-straight and pinned half-back.
“Thanks! I love it, but I think it’s a little too cutesy, so I brought this leather jacket and some black pumps to kind of…rock it up, you know?” Jen slipped on a distressed black leather jacket that zipped up diagonally and laughed.
“Nice! Very rocker-chick of you!” I said, laughing. Jen slipped on black leather peep-toe pumps with an ankle strap and a buckle on the front. She slicked on some lipgloss while I got a silver bangle with little blue flowers and put it on. Then I slipped into a pair of silver beaded suede heels and went in the other room to check on Felix and Mia.
Felix had dressed Mia in a baby pink tulle dress with Swiss dots on the skirt and a bunch of little rosettes on the bodice. Her soft baby hair was in its usual fluffy curls and she had a huge smile on her face. “Hey, baby, you look beautiful!” Felix said, picking Mia up from the couch and kissing my forehead. “Are you girls ready?”
“I think so!” I said, taking Mia from Felix and heading towards the door. Jen and Felix followed us and we piled into the elevator, gaining excited looks from the other passengers.
“Headed to a premiere?” An elderly lady asked me, giving my outfit a once-over.
“Yes,” I said, smiling, “Harry Potter!”
“Oh, my grandchildren just love those movies! Are you in them?” She asked, looking at all three of us, trying to gain some sort of recognition
“Kellie is!” Jen said, pointing at me and adding, “She’s Luna Lovegood!”
“Oh, you are, aren’t you! When my grandkids watch the movies at my house, I always love seeing you. Your character is just the cutest!”
“Thank you!” I said, feeling genuinely flattered.
The elevators dinged open in the lobby, and as we walked out, the woman asked me to sign a quick autograph for her grandchildren. I gladly did so, and had Felix take a picture of us with my camera, promising to email it to her as soon as I could.
When we got outside, the limo driver was waiting for us. We hopped in, and on the way to the venue, Jen and I popped out our mirrors to check our reflections one last time. “Did I mention you look awesome?” I said to Jen, laughing.
She tugged on her leather jacket and said, “Thanks! But I think I’m going to take this jacket off when we’re outside, or I’ll burn up!”
The car began to slow as we pulled up to the red carpet. Jen’s breathing picked up and she said, “Ahh…I’m starting to get nervous! I’ve never been to a premiere before…”
“You’ll be fine! Just stick with me and Felix, it’ll be fun.” I said, as the driver hopped out and came around to open the door. Jen slid out first, adjusting her dress and moving aside. I climbed out of the car and smiled as cheers erupted around us.
“This is insane!” Felix said as he and Mia climbed out.
“I know! It’s going to be so fun, though!” I said, taking Mia’s hand and leading the three of them down the carpet. Felix held Mia while I did interviews, and we all posed for pictures together. Mia, Felix, and Jen loved being at their first premiere, and we all enjoyed the movie together.
After the premiere, we headed over to the venue where the after party was taking place. Felix and I planned on only staying for a couple hours because we wanted Mia to get a good night’s rest. I found Katie and Dan sitting on a couch together, and we all sat down with them. Katie, wearing a sunny yellow empire-waist dress, immediately started playing around with Mia, keeping her quite entertained.
“You guys are going to be great parents!” I whispered to Dan, adding, “Katie’s a natural mother.”
Soon Bonnie and James joined us, Bonnie wearing a pretty navy blue cotton wrap shirtdress. They were followed by Matt and Emma. I stood up and gave each of them a hug, and we sat down and got to talking. Emma was wearing a pretty peach-colored chiffon Prada dress with a beaded band at the waist and a single beaded strap.
Rupert joined us soon, and once we were all together, Katie spoke up, holding Mia on her knee. “You guys,” she announced, using a stage whisper and making sure nobody was nearby, “Dan and I decided that we’re going to make the announcement at the Sydney premiere,” Katie indicated her belly with a smile, “I’m just wearing a more fitted dress and the first person that asks, we’re just going to say yes! It’ll be fun.”
Rupert pulled me aside after about a half hour and said, “So I don’t suppose you’ve seen the tabloids lately?”
“You mean the one of us at the London premiere?” I asked, letting out a small laugh, “Yeah, I saw that. Felix knows it’s not true, and we know, so that’s all that matters, right?”
“Yeah, except for Lily. I haven’t talked to her, I just found out right before the premiere, in fact. So I’m a bit worried about how she’ll react!”
“Oh…that is a problem. I could call and talk to her, but…” I trailed off
“But she may not believe you. Exactly.” Rupert sounded stressed.
“Listen, Rupert, don’t worry about it tonight! What happens happens…I’m sure Lily will be fine, don’t let it ruin your night!”
When Mia started getting sleepy, I suggested to Felix that we head back to the hotel. We noticed that Jen was still enjoying the party, dancing out on the floor alongside Bonnie, who she had become instant friends with. “Why don’t I take Mia back, and I’ll send the car back and you two can stay as long as you want?” Felix offered
“Oh, are you sure? I don’t mind leaving now…” I said
“No, it’s okay! Enjoy yourselves, I’ll see you later!” Felix kissed my forehead and took Mia from my arms.
Jen and I stayed behind at the party for two more hours, dancing and drinking, enjoying ourselves completely. I kept having to push the thought out of my head that this was the last time we’d all be together in Los Angeles. I reminded myself that we still had Sydney and Tokyo together.
The following morning, we packed up our luggage and got ready to all go our separate ways. I kissed Felix and Mia goodbye and they headed back to the hotel the Mariners were staying at to get ready for that night’s game. Jen and I went to breakfast and finalized our plans for the road trip up to Seattle, and then we went to the airport to meet the rest of the cast. Jen boarded her plane back to Phoenix, and we went to the private hanger to take the jet to Sydney.
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The following afternoon was the Sydney premiere. It was winter in the southern hemisphere, so it was pretty chilly out. I wore a gorgeous silk satin floor-length dress—above the empire-waist was pure white with a layer of flouncy chiffon at the neckline, below was sleek navy blue. The whole look was very 30’s red-carpet glamour, so I played it up with my accessories. I wore white chiffon pleated Louboutin pumps and a crystal-studded Leiber minaudiere. My hair was curled and twisted into a glamorous updo, held together with a vintage silver-and-Swarovski flower hair comb. I was careful not to wrinkle my gown as I rode in the limo to the theatre.
Halfway down the red carpet, I met up with Katie and Dan. To my surprise, Katie was wearing a brown empire-waist strapless dress with a black lace overlay which made her pregnant belly very prominent. "Kellie, we've told the press that the rumors are true!" Katie cried as we hugged.
I met up with Julie White and Rhiannon Rowland-Smith inside. They were the mom and sister of Ryan Rowland-Smith, a pitcher for the Mariners who was from Australia. I had met them for lunch that day and given them tickets to the premiere. “Hey, ladies! How did you like walking the red carpet?” I asked.
“It was so cool! I can’t believe you get to do this all the time!” Rhia exclaimed after I hugged them both. Julie and Rhia were just like Ryan—kind, funny, and down to earth. I was already set in my mind to visit them the next time I was in Australia again.
The premiere was an absolute blast. All of the fans in Australia were always witty, fun, and enthusiastic about having us there. The after-party was the best part, we had it at a big Aussie-proud pub, so we basically spent the evening drinking good beer and singing awful karaoke.
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The final premiere we went to was Tokyo, and there was a very sad feeling in the air as we realized this was our last premiere, all of us together. I wore a black and white zebra print chiffon Marchesa floor-length dress, very edgy and yet still pretty and classy, and I paired it with red patent round-toe Dior pumps.
“Kellie, you look fierce!” Emma cried when we met up in the lobby of our hotel. Emma was wearing an ivory Alberta Ferretti chiffon dress with a beaded keyhole neckline and looking equally gorgeous.
"Thanks, so do you! That outfit is hot. Where's Matt?" I asked, fixing my red lipstick in the mirror as we waited for everyone else to join us. My hair was down in soft, voluptuous curls, and my makeup was simple and elegant--simple eyes lined in black liquid eyeliner and sexy red lipstick. I had borrowed Felix's silver Armani watch with a black face--wearing it made me feel closer to him when we were apart--and I also wore a pretty pair of diamond drop earrings with little diamond-studded bows and two teardrop diamonds on each earring.
"Oh, he's upstairs with Rupert and Dan, they were playing poker and smoking cigars," Emma said as Katie joined us wearing a strapless chiffon dress, the fabric a swirl of blues that looked like the ocean. When Bonnie joined us, wearing a sky blue floor-length Marchesa gown with beaded straps, we finally called the guys and forced them to come down, as the limos had just arrived.
The premiere was both exciting and somber, as we were both happy and sad to be done. It went by so fast that I didn’t even feel like it had happened afterward. Immediately after the premiere, we boarded a jet back to London and I slept nearly the whole way. After visiting with Nicole, Savannah, and Karigan for a day, I headed to the airport and flew to Phoenix for the road trip with Jen.
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When the plane landed in Phoenix Tuesday evening, Jen was waiting to pick me up at the airport. We were spending the night at my parents' house and leaving early--very early--the next morning to get on the road. Jen had loaded everything she would need for the month-long stay into her car, and we left most of my bags in the trunk since I wouldn't need much for our one-night stay in Phoenix.
My parents were glad to see me, and Megan came over too, so the five of us ate dinner and talked for a bit before Jen and I went to my old room to get ready for bed. When we were all set for sleep, we piled into my bed and talked about why we were excited for the road trip until the pauses between each comment were so long that we both fell asleep.
"Wake up! It's time to go on our road trip!" Jen cried early the next morning. I moaned and rolled over, noting that there was barely any light coming through the window. My sleepiness went away very quickly, however, when I realized why we were waking up so early.
"Road trip!" I cried, hopping out of bed. Jen and I ate breakfast, got dressed, and did some last-minute running around. My parents were awake, as my mom was about to leave for work, and they saw us off as we pulled out of the driveway.
"Seattle, here we come!" Jen yelled as she merged onto the freeway. The excited feeling of going on our first-ever road trip together lasted for about the first half-hour, and then it was time to ward off the boredom. I slid a mix CD--one of many we had both made the night before to keep us entertained--into the player and turned it up, and Jen and I spent most of the day singing at the top of our lungs and dancing as we drove through Arizona and straight to LA.
We arrived at our hotel, a Best Western on the side of the freeway in LA, at 3pm, so Jen and I decided that a trip to the beach was necessary. I slipped into a green leaf-print bikini and put navy blue shorts, a smoky grey tank top, and brown suede flip flops on over it. Jen came out of the bathroom in a white, blue, purple, and red striped bikini which she wore under a hot pink tank top, dark denim shorts, and brown leather studded flip flops. We slipped on the Ray Ban Wayfarers that we had bought specifically for the trip—mine were turquoise and Jen’s were red—and headed to the beach.
While we were at the beach, it seemed that somebody tipped off some paparazzi that I was there, because they showed up after we had been there for about an hour and a half. Jen and I were lying out on beach towels, and suddenly a handful of photographers were about five feet away from us, shamelessly snapping photos. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe there’s paparazzi! I’m so sorry!” I told Jen as we tried not to look awkward in the photos.
“Are you kidding me? I’m in paparazzi photos! This is incredible!” Jen shouted, laughing.
We played in the ocean for a while and then dried off and slipped our clothes back on, deciding to get dinner and head back to the hotel to watch a movie and get to sleep early.
The following morning we woke up around 4am once again and headed out for our second and final day of driving. We would arrive in Seattle around 6 or 7pm that evening. I dressed in a soft white t-shirt that had grey watercolor splatters and the word “Love” on the front, comfy red Capri sweats, and my wayfarers. Jen wore a grey scoop neck t-shirt and army green sweats from American Eagle and her wayfarers as well. We spent most of the day making plans for what to do in Seattle as we drove.
“Seattle city limits! We’re here!!” Jen cried as we drove into downtown Seattle that evening. The windows were down and the summer breeze was coming in through the window. Jen stuck her hands out the window and screamed as I drove down the I-5 and took the exit to my apartment.
“So, here we are!” I said, parking my car in the garage by my apartment building. Jen and I got our luggage out of the trunk and headed up to my flat.
“Oh my gosh, your apartment is so cool!” Jen cried as I showed her around. I showed her to the guest room and we had a quick dinner and crashed for the night.
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“Okay, first stop today is the theatre. I’ve got a rehearsal that you can sit in on, it’ll be about an hour, and then we can go sightseeing!” I announced the following morning. I dressed in a red top with blue and white roses embroidered on it, slate blue trousers, and nude sequined satin Sergio Rossi flats—though I would be changing out of it at the theatre, we’d be out all day so I wanted to have normal clothes.
At the theatre, I changed into a green tank top, blue sweat capris, a grey cardigan, and metallic-y silver sneakers. I pulled my hair into a messy bun and joined Lisa on the stage for our rehearsal. We rehearsed two of our duets, “For Good” and “What is this Feeling?” and then I performed one of my solos, “The Wizard and I.” Finally I rehearsed “As Long as You’re Mine,” my duet with Mark Landon, who played my love interest, Fiero.
When I finished the rehearsal, I changed back into my regular clothes and pulled my hair down into its natural wavy curls. “So, I was thinking we could go to Pike Place first, it’s just down the street. And then of course we’ll go to Safeco! I haven’t seen Felix since the LA premiere, so I figured we could hang out with him and some of the guys and then see the game,” I explained as we left the theatre.
Jen and I did some shopping at the market, had lunch, and later in the afternoon we headed over to Safeco. Felix was still finishing up practice, so we sat in the dugout and talked while we waited for him.
“Hey Kellie, welcome back!” Ryan Rowland-Smith said when he walked into the dugout.
“Hey, thanks! Oh, by the way, I loved meeting your mum and Rhia. They were super nice, and so funny!” I said, giving Ryan a hug. Since I was around the team so often, Ryan and I had become pretty good friends.
“Oh, man, they loved you. Thanks so much for doing that, it was really cool.” Ryan said.
“Not a problem! I’m definitely getting together with them again next time I’m in Oz!” I noticed Ryan was eyeing Jen, as I hadn’t introduced them, so I said, “Hey, Ryan, this is my friend Jen. She’s visiting from Phoenix for a month. Jen, this is Ryan, he’s a pitcher and a friend of mine!”
Ryan and Jen were all smiles as they shook hands, and I got an idea in my head to set them up. Ryan headed into the lockers and I turned to Jen and said, “He’s cute, huh?”
Jen blushed a little. “Oh, er, yeah!”
“You two would be so cute together. You should be a little flirty, maybe he’ll ask you out!” I prodded
Jen got a little shy at the suggestion, so I decided not to try any more with her, but I vowed in my head to give Ryan a little nudge in her direction.
Felix finished practice and we decided to get a group together for a quick, early dinner at the brewery across the street. We rounded up Ryan, Brandon, and Wladimir and we all headed to the restaurant. I sat in between Ryan and Felix, and Jen was directly across from me between Brandon and Wlad. When Jen was in the middle of a conversation with Brandon and Felix, I nudged Ryan and said softly, “So, you were all smiles when you met Jen today…”
I had never played matchmaker, but I felt that I was pretty good at picking this pair. Ryan glanced up at Jen and said, “Oh, right. Yeah, she’s cute…”
“So, she’ll be here for at least a month. You should ask her out!”
Ryan mumbled some inaudible answer that sounded a lot like “maybe,” but at that moment our bill came and there was a lot of commotion as the guys fought over who got to pay it.
After the game, which the Mariners won, we stuck around the stadium for a bit while the fans cleared out and stadium workers cleaned up. Felix and Ryan came out of the lockers together, and Felix pulled me aside to talk for a minute.
“I missed you so much, baby,” he said, pulling me into a passionate kiss and then saying, “Can I come over tonight? Mia’s with Mariella for the weekend.”
I hesitated and then said, “Felix, hon, it’s Jen’s first full night in town. How about you stay over tomorrow night, once she’s all settled in and used to thinks here?”
Felix groaned sadly. “Baby, it’s been a long time. I’ve missed you so much…”
“I know, hon. I’ve missed you too, but I just can’t tonight, okay?”
I kissed Felix again, and then joined Ryan and Jen. Jennifer and I said goodnight to Ryan and Felix in the parking garage, where we got in my car and went back to the apartment. “So, Ryan asked me to go to dinner with him tomorrow night,” Jen announced as we drove home.
“Yes! That’s awesome!” I cried. We spent the rest of the night picking out an outfit and planning Jen’s hair and makeup for the date.
The following morning I had a full rehearsal for Wicked, so Jen didn’t come with, as it would be a really long morning. We did the full dress rehearsal and then tweaked and perfected everything we needed to—at this point, opening night was only a week away!
Later in the evening, Jen and I prepared for our dates. Jen was going to dinner and a movie with Ryan, and Felix and I were having dinner at his house. Jen hadn’t brought a lot of date outfits, so I let her look through my closet and pick out whatever she wanted to borrow. She chose a white Peter Som dress with a sweetheart cut and a sheer black scalloped hem, which she paired with my black satin pleated Marc Jacobs pumps. My date with Felix was more casual, so I wore a flouncy black Swiss dot mini skirt with a pink sequined cardigan and black glitter pumps.
There was a knock at the door and, since Jennifer was putting the finishing touches on her makeup, I went to answer it. Ryan was standing in the hall holding some flowers and looking a little nervous. “Hey! Come on in, Jen’s just finishing up,” I said, opening the door all the way. Ryan stepped inside and I closed the door.
“He’s here!” I whispered to Jen as I peaked into the guest bathroom. She smiled and then slicked on her lipgloss and hurried out to greet Ryan. I didn’t want to impose, so I was sneaky as I listened next to the doorway of the bedroom. Ryan gave Jennifer the flowers he had brought, a bouquet of Stargazer lilies, and she began looking around for a vase. I took it as my cue and went back out to the main room.
I grabbed a vase and saw Jen and Ryan off before heading over to Felix’s house. We popped in a movie and cuddled up on the couch, eating the pasta Felix had made and then just spending the evening curled up together.
I woke up in the early hours of the morning, still in Felix’s arms. I stretched, achy from lying in the same position all night on the couch, and then carefully slid out of Felix’s grasp and got up. I looked at my phone—5am—and yawned. I had to get home so I could be ready by 9 for rehearsal, so I scrawled a note to Felix on a spare piece of paper on the coffee table, and then grabbed my keys and quietly left.
“Hey, you’re home late!” Jen joked when I let myself into the apartment and dropped my bag on the counter, finding her sitting on the couch eating breakfast.
“Ah…yeah, we were watching a movie on his couch and we both fell asleep. I can’t believe I stayed all night!” I said, apologizing for not being there when she got home.
“Oh, it’s okay! I didn’t mind, and you gave me the spare key anyway. How was your date?” Jen asked
“Oh, mine was nice, but that doesn’t matter—how was yours?!”
“Oh, it was….it was nice!” Jen said, hesitating for a moment.
“Nice?” I prodded
Jen paused for a moment and then said, “Well, I don’t know…he was really nice, and funny and everything. But I just don’t think he’s really my type—at all. To be honest, and this may sound a little weird, but I think I’d describe him as being more of your type, you know?”
I laughed. “Oh, I see. Well, we do have different taste in guys, that’s for sure!”
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One week later, it was finally opening night of Wicked. We had worked so hard for months, and the past week we’d been really busy with fittings, rehearsals, and perfecting everything we could. Finally I felt the calm before the storm—what was to be a busy but exciting four months. The day of, I slept in until 10 and drank a lot of tea, making sure I was well rested and my voice was strong. Jennifer and Felix and I went to an early dinner, and then I headed to the theatre, hugging them goodbye. I had scored front row seats for Megan and my parents as well as Felix, Jen, Nicole, Savannah and Karigan, who had all flown in to see my performance. A lot of the guys on the teams and their wives and girlfriends had gotten tickets as well, and I was stoked that so many people were coming out to support me.
Preparations for hair and makeup started 2 hours before curtain, and a film crew had come in to follow me and Lisa around on opening night. Twenty minutes before curtain, my skin was green, I was wearing a black wig with a long thick braid in the back, and I was wearing my first act costume—a thick black turtleneck dress, a black blazer, thick black tights with lace-up boots, and a black cap.
Five minutes before curtain, Lisa and Mark and I met up together and shared a few words of encouragement. “You guys, we’ve been doing so much to get to this point—now it’s going to be a piece of cake! Just breathe and smile and do your best. They’re gonna love it!” Lisa said. We all hugged each other and then waited for the show to begin.
Five minutes after curtain went up, it was time for me to go on stage. As Elphaba, I was going to my new school, Shiz University, with my father and my sister, Nessarose, who was in a wheelchair. I stood with Jessica, who played Nessarose, in her old-fashioned wheelchair. When we got our cue, I wheeled her out on stage, and I made my very best nervous expression—I was new at the school and feeling a bit insecure about my green skin. Lisa was looking quite the opposite of me—pale skin, a clean, well-tailored cream dress and blazer, and very beautiful and refined.
All of the students stared at me and my green skin, and I said, exactly as rehearsed, “What? What are you all looking at? Oh, do I have something in my teeth? Okay, let’s get this over with. No, I’m not seasick. Yes, I’ve always been green. No, I didn’t chew grass as a child.” The audience laughed at what I said. My stomach churned excitedly as I realized I had given my first line of the musical and it had gone over very well.
After some random dialogue, the moment came for my first solo. Everyone in the audience was quiet, waiting to hear my song, and I felt my stomach twist at the thought of all the people watching, but I immediately forgot when I began singing.
Did that really just happen?
Have I actually understood?
This weird quirk I've tried
To suppress or hide
Is a talent that could
Help me meet the Wizard
If I make good
So I'll make good;
When I meet the Wizard,
Once I prove my worth,
And then I meet the Wizard
What I've waited for since,
(Spoken: Since birth!)
And with all his Wizard wisdom,
By my looks, he won't be blinded.
Do you think the Wizard is (Spoken: dumb?)
Or, like Munchkins, so small-minded?
(Spoken: No!) He'll say to me,
"I see who you truly are -
A girl of whom I can rely!"
And that's how we'll begin
The Wizard and I:
Once I'm with the Wizard
My whole life will change
'Cuz once you're with the Wizard
No one thinks you're strange!
No father is not proud of you,
No sister acts ashamed
And all of Oz has to love you
When by the Wizard, you're acclaimed
And this gift or this curse
I have inside
Maybe at last, I'll know why
When we are hand in hand -
The Wizard and I!
And one day, he'll say to me, "Elphaba,
A girl who is so superior,
Shouldn't a girl who's so good inside
Have a matching exterior?
And since folks here to an absurd degree
Seem fixated on your verdigris.
Would it be all right by you
If I de-greenify you?"
And though of course,
That's not important to me.
"All right, why not?" I'll reply
Oh, what a pair we'll be
The Wizard and I;
Yes, what a pair we'll be
The Wizard and...
Unlimited
My future is unlimited
And I've just had a vision
Almost like a prophecy
I know - it sounds truly crazy
And true, the vision's hazy
But I swear, someday there'll be
A celebration throughout Oz
That's all to do with me!
And I'll stand there with the Wizard,
Feeling things I've never felt.
And though I'd never show it,
I'll be so happy, I could melt!
And so it will be
For the rest of my life,
And I'll want nothing else
Till I die.
Held in such high esteem.
When people see me, they will scream
For half of Oz's favorite team;
The Wizard
And I!!!!
I finished the song on a long, powerful note, and then the stage went black. I hurried backstage to get ready for the next scene, but I could hear the applause and cheers from the audience, and it was difficult to get the huge smile off my face.
The lights went up for the next scene and I was immediately back in character. The setting was my dorm, which I was sharing with Galinda. We had a duet coming up, and Lisa and I both walked out onto the stage on opposite sides, sharing a scowl and then taking our spots at opposite ends of the front of the stage. We were writing letters to our parents, each reading it out from the parchment we were holding.
GALINDA:
(spoken) Dearest darlingest Momsie and Popsicle:
ELPHABA:
(spoken) My dear Father:
BOTH:
There's been some confusion
Over rooming here at Shiz:
ELPHABA:
But of course, I'll care for Nessa:
GALINDA:
But of course, I'll rise above it:
BOTH:
For I know that's how you'd want me to respond
(Spoken:) Yes
There's been some confusion
For you see, my roommate is:
GALINDA:
Unusually and exceedingly peculiar
And altogether quite impossible to describe:
ELPHABA:
Blonde.
GALINDA:
What is this feeling,
So sudden and new?
ELPHABA:
I felt the moment
I laid eyes on you;
GALINDA:
My pulse is rushing;
ELPHABA:
My head is reeling;
GALINDA:
My face is flushing;
BOTH:
What is this feeling?
Fervid as a flame,
Does it have a name?
Yes! Loathing
Unadulterated loathing
GALINDA:
For your face;
ELPHABA:
Your voice;
GALINDA:
Your clothing;
BOTH:
Let's just say - I loathe it all
Ev'ry little trait, however small
Makes my very flesh begin to crawl
With simple utter loathing
There's a strange exhilaration
In such total detestation
It's so pure, so strong!
Though I do admit it came on fast
Still I do believe that it can last
And I will be loathing
Loathing you
My whole life long!
STUDENTS:
Dear Galinda, you are just too good
How do you stand it? I don't think I could!
She's a terror! She's a Tartar!
We don't mean to show a bias,
But Galinda, you're a martyr!
GALINDA:
Well; these things are sent to try us!
STUDENTS:
Poor Galinda, forced to reside
With someone so disgusticified
We just want to tell you:
We're all on your side!
We share your;
BOTH:
What is this feeling
So sudden and new?
I felt the moment I laid eyes on you
My pulse is rushing
My head is reeling
Oh, what is this feeling?
Does it have a name?
Yes
Ahhh
STUDENTS (BACKGROUND):
Loathing Unadulterated loathing
For her face, her voice, her clothing
let's just say - we loathe it all
ev'ry little trait however small
makes our very flesh being to crawl
AHHH!
ALL:
Loathing!
STUDENTS:
loathing
BOTH:
There's a strange exhilaration
STUDENTS:
loathing
BOTH:
In such total detestation
STUDENTS:
loathing
BOTH:
It's so pure, so strong
STUDENTS:
So strong!
BOTH:
Though I do admit it came on fast
Still I do believe that it can last
And I will be...
STUDENS (BACKGROUND):
loathing...
BOTH:
loathing
For forever...
STUDENTS (BACKGROUND):
loathing...
BOTH:
loathing,
Truly deeply loathing you
loathing you
My whole Life long!
STUDENTS:
Loathing
Unadulterated loathing
ELPHABA:
Boo!
GALINDA:
AH!
I hurried backstage as soon as the lights went down, the cheers from the audience ringing in my ears. The next scene was in a classroom, so a prop tech handed me a stack of books and a book bag, which I slung over my shoulder and headed back out with the cast of students.
Dr. Dillamond, a goat that could speak (for this was very common in Oz) was teaching history, and there was a discussion about the pronunciation of Galinda’s name—Dr. Dillamond pronounced it “Glinda”, which upset Galinda.
“Maybe pronouncing your precious name isn’t the sole purpose of Doctor Dillamond’s life. Maybe he’s not like every other professor. Maybe he’s different!” I insisted
Lisa retorted with the comment, “Oh! It seems the artichoke is steamed!” and the audience laughed.
After a few moments, the key part of the scene occurred: Dr. Dillamond turned over his chalkboard to find that someone had written “Animals should be seen and not heard.” He was so upset, he dismissed the class. I stayed behind to speak to him.
“Oh, miss Elphaba, don’t worry about me, go along and enjoy your friends,” Dr. Dillamond said.
“Oh, that’s alright, I have no friends! Here, would you like to share my lunch?” I offered him a candy bar and he ate the wrapper, handing the chocolate back to me. The audience laughed once again—every time they laughed, a happy feeling arose in my stomach.
Doctor Dillamond and I sang a short song about the animals, and then the scene closed and I headed backstage again. I had a little while before my next scene, so I found a comfy looking chair and rested. From the angle I was at, I could just see out onto the stage, so I watched as Mark showed up as Fiyero and Galinda flirted shamelessly with him. They made plans for the whole school to go to a dance at the Ozzdust ballroom that evening, and then I heaved myself out of the chair and got ready to head back onstage. Their was a montage in which nearly everyone but me sang about how they loved dancing, and then I awkwardly appeared at the ballroom, wearing an ugly pointed hat Galinda had given me. I did a crazy dance to no music while everyone stared, and then sunk into the crowd.
Madame Morrible, the Shiz headmistress, was giving Galinda permission to join her seminar, which Elphaba had requested (she was currently the sole attendee allowed) and then the scene closed as Galinda began to regret the way she had treated me.
When the scene reopened, I was with Galinda in our dorm. “Elphaba—can I call you Elphie?” Galinda said.
“Oh…er, it’s a little, well, perky.” I said hesitantly
“And you can call me…Galinda! So, Elphie, now that we’re friends, I’ve decided to make you my new project!”
“You really don’t have to do that…” I muttered
“I know! That’s what makes me so nice.” The audience laughed and the music for Lisa’s solo began
Galinda:
WHENEVER I SEE SOMEONE LESS FORTUNATE THAN I
AND LET'S FACE IT... WHO ISN'T
LESS FORTUNATE THAN I?
MY TENDER HEART TENDS TO START TO BLEED
AND WHEN SOMEONE NEEDS A MAKEOVER
I SIMPLY HAVE TO TAKEOVER
I KNOW I KNOW
EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEED
AND EVEN IN YOUR CASE...
THOUGH IT'S THE TOUGHEST CASE I'VE YET TO FACE!
DON'T WORRY! I'M DETERMINED TO SUCCEED
FOLLOW MY LEAD
AND YES INDEED
YOU
WILL
BE...
POPULAR!
YOU'RE GONNA BE POPULAR
I'LL TEACH THE PROPER PLOYS
WHEN YOU TALK TO BOYS
LITTLE WAYS TO FLIRT AND FLOUNCE (SQUEALS)
I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT SHOES TO WEAR
HOW TO FIX YOUR HAIR
EVERYTHING THAT REALLY COUNTS TO BE POPULAR
I KNOW ABOUT POPULAR
AND WITH AN ASSIST FROM ME
TO BE WHO YOU'LL BE
INSTEAD OF DREARY WHO YOU WERE...
WELL ARE...
THERE'S NOTHING THAT CAN STOP YOU
FROM BECOMING POPULER...
LAR!
LA LA LA LA
WE'RE GONNA MAKE YOU POPULAR!
WHEN I SEE DEPRESSING CREATURES
WITH UNPREPOSSESSING FEATURES,
I REMIND THEM ON THEIR OWN BEHALF
TO THINK OF
CELEBRATED HEADS OF STATE
OR ESPECIALLY GREAT COMMUNICATORS
DID THEY HAVE BRAINS OR KNOWLEDGE?
DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!
THEY WERE POPULAR
PLEASE, IT'S ALL ABOUT POPULAR
IT'S NOT ABOUT APTITUDE
IT'S THE WAY YOU'RE VIEWED
SO IT'S VERY SHREWD TO BE
VERY VERY POPULAR
LIKE ME!
Elphaba: This is never going to work!
Galinda: Oh Elphie, you mustn't think that way anymore! Your whole life is going to change... and all because of me. Okay, stand... I will turn your frock into a beautiful ball gown! Stand up... She Picks Up Her Wand And Waves It. Ball gown!!! Nothing Happens, So She Repeats. Ball gown!!! Still Nothing Happens. She Taps Her Wand On The Bed. Is this thing on?
Elphaba: Do you want me to try?
Galinda: No, I've got it! She Throws The Wand Down. Oh, just wear the frock... it's pretty! Now, I'll show you how to flip your hair: Flip flip. Or you could use your hand. Demonstrates. Or, you can use your whole body. Falls onto bed. Squeals. Now, for the finishing touch. Takes flower out of her hair, puts it into Elphaba's. Why, Miss Elphaba, look at you, you're beautiful. Hands her the mirror.
Elphaba: After Looking In The Mirror. I... I have to go.
She Runs Off.
Galinda: You're Welcome! She Admires Herself In The Mirror.
AND THOUGH YOU PROTEST
YOUR DISINTEREST,
I KNOW CLANDESTINELY...
YOU'RE GONNA GRIN AND BEAR IT
YOUR NEW FOUND POPULARITY! (SQUEALS)
LA LA LA LA
YOU'LL BE POPULAR!
JUST NOT QUITE AS POPULAR
AS ME!!!
After a few more scenes, in which Galinda and I became friends, I developed feelings for Fiyero (who was unhappily dating Galinda), and Dr. Dillamond was carted off by the government, it was time for me to go to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard. I had invited Galinda—who had changed her name to Glinda in homage to Dr. Dillamond—to the city with me, and we met with the Wizard. I was planning to ask him to help with the speaking animals, as they were being suppressed by the government, only to find out that the Wizard was in charge of the whole operation.
I ran away, upset by the whole thing, but the Wizard and Madame Morrible, who was now his press secretary, decided that I knew too much and they must stop me. Galinda and I ran to the highest tower of the palace and I barricaded the door with a broom, as guards were coming after us. The climax of the musical, and my favorite song, was beginning.
Glinda: Elphaba, why couldn't you have stayed calm for once instead of flying off the handle?
I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY
I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY NOW
I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY HOW YOU'VE HURT YOUR CAUSE FOREVER
I HOPE YOU THINK YOU'RE CLEVER
Elphaba:
I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY! I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY TOO
I HOPE YOU'RE PROUD HOW YOU WOULD GROVEL IN SUBMISSION
TO FEED YOUR OWN AMBISSION
Both:
SO THOUGH I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW
I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY
RIGHT NOW...
Morrible: Citizens of Oz, there is an enemy that must be found and captured! Believe nothing she says. She's evil. Responsible for the mutilation of these poor, innocent monkeys! Her green skin is but an outward manifestation of her twisted nature! This distortion... this repulsion... this... Wicked Witch!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Glinda: Don't be afraid...
Elphaba: I'm not... it's the Wizard who should be afraid... of me!
Glinda: Elphie, just say you're sorry before it's too late.
YOU CAN STILL BE WITH THE WIZARD
WHAT YOU'VE WORKED AND WAITED FOR
YOU CAN HAVE ALL YOU EVER WANTED...
Elphaba: I know...
BUT I DON'T WANT IT
NO, I CAN'T WANT IT
ANYMORE...
SOMETHING HAS CHANGED WITHIN ME
SOMETHING IS NOT THE SAME
I'M THROUGH WITH PLAYING BY THE RULES
OF SOMEONE ELSE'S GAME!
TOO LATE FOR SECOND GUESSING
TOO LATE TO GO BACK TO SLEEP
IT'S TIME TO TRUST MY INSTINCTS
CLOSE MY EYES...
AND LEAP
IT'S TIME TO TRY DEFYING GRAVITY
I THINK I'LL TRY DEFYING GRAVITY
AND YOU CAN'T PULL ME DOWN
Glinda:
CAN'T I MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND
YOU'RE HAVING DELUSIONS OF GRANDURE?
Elphaba:
I'M THROUHG EXCEPTING LIMITS
'CUZ SOMEONE SAYS THEY'RE SO
SOME THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE,
BUT 'TIL I TRY I'LL NEVER KNOW!
TOO LONG I'VE BEEN AFRAID OF
LOSING LOVE I GUESS I'D LOST
WELL IF THAT'S LOVE,
IT COMES AT MUCH TOO HIGH A COST!
I'D SOONER BUY DEFYING GRAVITY
KISS ME GOODBYE I'M DEFYING GRAVITY
AND YOU CAN'T PULL ME DOWN!
Guard: Open this door, in the name of his supreme Ozness!
Elphaba: Ah May Ah Tay Ah Tum Ditum...
Glinda: What are you doing?! Stop it! That's what started all this in the first place... that hideous levitation spell! STOP!!!
Glinda: Well... Where are your wings? Maybe you're not as powerful as you think you are...
A Broomstick Floats Across The Room Towards Elphaba.
Elphaba: I told you, Glinda... I did it, I tell ya! Quick! Get on!
Glinda: What?
Elphaba: Come with me... think of what we could do... together.
UNLIMITED, TOGETHER WE'RE UNLIMITED
TOGETHER WE'LL BE THE GREATEST TEAM THERE'S EVER BEEN, GLINDA
DREAMS THE WAY WE PLANNED 'EM
Glinda:
IF WE WORK IN TANDEM
Both:
JUST YOU AND I DEFYING GRAVITY
WITH YOU AND I DEFYING GRAVITY
Elphaba:
THEY'LL NEVER BRING US DOWN.
Well, are you coming?
Glinda: Elphie, you're trembling... here, put this around you...
I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY
NOW THAT YOU'RE CHOOSING THIS
Elphaba: You too.
I HOPE IT BRINGS YOU BLISS
Both:
I REALLY HOPE YOU GET IT
AND YOU DON'T LIVE TO REGRET IT
I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY IN THE END!
I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY...
MY FRIEND...
Guard: There she is! Don't let her get away!
They Grab Hold Of Glinda.
Glinda: What in Oz?! Let go of me! Do you hear me? Let go!
Elphaba: It's not her. She has nothing to do with. I'm the one you want. It's me. Hahahahaha. It's me! Up here! It's me!
She Rises Up Center Stage Holding Her Broom.
Elphaba:
SO IF YOU CARE TO FIND ME,
LOOK TO THE WESTERN SKY
AS SOMEONE TOLD ME LATELY,
EVERYONE DESERVES THE CHANCE TO FLY!
AND IF I'M FLYING SOLO,
AT LEAST I'M FLYING FREE!
TO THOSE WHO GROUND ME,
TAKE A MESSAGE BACK FROM ME!
TELL THEM HOW I AM DEFYING GRAVITY!!!
I'M FLYING HIGH DEFYING GRAVITY!!!
AND SOON I'LL MATCH THEM IN RENOWN
AND NOBODY
IN ALL OF OZ...
NO WIZARD THAT THERE IS OR WAS
IS EVER GONNA BRING
ME DOWN!!!
Ozians:
LOOK AT HER, SHE'S WICKED
GET HER!!!
Elphaba: BRING ME DOWN!!!!
Ozians: NO ONE MOURNS THE WICKED! SO WE'VE GOT TO BRING HER...
Elphaba: AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Ozians: DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The scene closed, and the curtains swept shut with the end of the first act. We had a half hour before the second act, and after quickly hugging and congratulating everyone, I headed to my dressing room for makeup touch-ups and to change into my second-act outfit, which was actually quite heavy and uncomfortable.
When the musical was over we all ran out onto the stage and did our bows for encore. The audience was on their feet, cheering and whistling, and we all had huge smiles on our faces. After the curtain went down, everything that had just occurred felt incredibly surreal. We all had huge smiles on our faces and we were just hugging each other and congratulating everyone on their performances. "All right, I've got to get this green makeup off my skin now!" I finally said, heading back to my dressing room to get de-greenified. I basically stripped down and hopped in a shower, scrubbing my neck, chest, and face as best as I could. Then I hopped out, slipped on a robe, and let Ricky remove the rest of the makeup.
The was a big, fancy opening night party afterwards, so Lisa and I got together in my dressing room and let our artists do our makeup and hair. I had worked with Elie Saab on an ensemble for the party, and I pulled the pale yellow tulle dress out of the garment bag hanging on the back of the door. The dress had a deep V-neck and was beaded in silver at the top, which trickled down lightly toward the bottom hem, which hit just at my knees. When it was time to go, Lisa and I got in the limo waiting outside the theatre for us and headed to the venue. Lisa was wearing a white chiffon strapless knee-length dress that had silver beading at the sweetheart neckline.
“This dress is so flowey,” she said, pulling on the hem, “I’m going to have to dance a lot in it to show it off!”
When we arrived at the venue, there was a little red carpet out front with photographers and journalists. “Wow, it’s like a real premiere!” I remarked as we slipped out of the limo and began to pose for photos.
When we got inside, I immediately spotted Ryan and assumed he would be around more of my friends. I was just about to head over to say hello when a bunch of random people ran up to me. There was a slightly balding man in a navy blue suit that handed me his card. “Kellie, I’m James Petett. If you’re ever in need of a manager, call me!” Three young girls asked me for my autograph at the very same moment, and when I was finished with them, the two remaining men were singing my praises.
When I finally got out of the miniature crowd that had gathered around me, I was about five feet away from Ryan. “Hey! I’m so glad you came!” I said, hugging him.
“Oh, yeah. You were great! Congratulations on your amazing performance.”
“So hey, you and Jennifer—there just wasn’t anything there, I take it?” I added quietly
“Oh. Well I enjoyed spending time with her, but….well, yeah. There wasn’t much spark or anything. I hope she’s not upset…but I think the feeling was mutual, right?” Ryan asked
“Yeah, she felt the same. She said you were nice, but you weren’t her type. She said you were actually more…” I paused, realizing it would be weird to tell him exactly what Jennifer had said, so I corrected myself, “Well, someone else’s type, I guess.” Ryan laughed and then I asked, “So, have you seen anyone else we know yet?”
We were both looking around when I heard my mom’s voice from behind me. “Kellie! Over here!”
I turned around to see my parents along with Megan, Felix, and Mia. “Hi! How was I? Did you like it?” I asked excitedly, hugging them all. When I turned back around, Ryan had gone to get a drink, but Nicole, Jen, Savannah, and Karigan were coming over to congratulate me. Everywhere I turned, I was running into friends and supporters.
An hour later, as the partied settled down and people began to dance and drink and stopped following me and the rest of the cast members around with their congratulations. Megan and my parents were settled down at a table with Nicole, Savannah, Jen, and Karigan, and Felix and the Mariners players and their wives and girlfriends were spread out among a few tables nearby. I made my way between the different tables, chatting with everyone.
When I went to the bar to get a drink, Ryan came up to get one for himself as well. “Can I get a scotch on the rocks?” he asked, leaning on the bar.
“Wow, scotch on the rocks? That’s a pretty hardcore drink,” I said, laughing.
Ryan looked up and smiled, “Yeah, well I was going to have a beer, but I overheard Yumiko saying that Ichiro needs to drink something classier than beer tonight, so I figured I should probably follow the same rules, right?”
I laughed as the bartender handed me my appletini and put a tumbler of scotch in front of Ryan. “Well, are you enjoying the party with your classy drink, at least?” I asked
“Oh, yeah, it’s fantastic. And I hope you’re enjoying it, too. You’re the star, after all!”
I blushed a little. “I’ve never gotten used to being called ‘the star,’ it’s just so…not me,” I said, “I don’t know. Fame is weird.”
“Well, that’s good to hear. Stay normal, it suits you.” Ryan laughed, and then we headed back to the tables together.
---------------------------------------
After another few weeks in Seattle, it was time for Jen to go back to Phoenix. “I’m going to miss you so much!” I said, hugging her as we stood outside her terminal at SeaTac. Jen had checked her luggage, and my car was parked at the curb. “Come visit me whenever you want, okay? You’re always welcome”
When Jen finally went to board her flight, I hopped in my car and headed to the stadium to meet Felix and Mariella. We were spending the afternoon at the zoo, and then we were having a double-date with Adrian and Sandra.
Felix was just finishing up with practice, so I headed to the nursery and picked Mia up. Usually she spent her mornings with either me or Mariella while Felix had training, but today she was in the nursery with some of the other players’ kids. I carried Mia, who was in the white and pink floral tank top, jeans, and white sandals I had dressed her in that morning. Mia had spent the last couple nights with me and Jen, because Felix was traveling with the team, and he had just returned the night before, late in the evening.
In the middle of lunch, which we spend on a blanket in the grass at the zoo, Felix’s cell phone rang. “Hello?” he asked, tossing his corndog, which was only half-eaten, in the trash. I watched as he pulled a face and then motioned for me that he would be right back. “Hey, hold on, I can’t talk right now,” he said quickly, and then as he got further and further from earshot I could hear him say, “Why are you calling me right now?”
When Felix returned, he smiled sheepishly and shoved his phone back in his pocket. “Who was that?” I asked as I wiped some crumbs off of Mia’s shirt and packed up our bag to continue on to the penguins and the elephants.
“Oh, that was just—it was a business call. Nothing too important.” Felix murmured, picking up our blanket. He didn’t say more, and I wasn’t really worried enough to ask more.
--------------------------------------
One afternoon in July, I sat in the clubhouse at Safeco, waiting for Felix to finish practice so we could take Mia to lunch. I was curled up on a bench in the corner of the room, wearing a cute denim knee-length flouncy skirt, a cream and grey striped cardigan, a watermelon tank top, and silver sequined lo-top Converse. I had a book resting in my lap and I was hunched over slightly reading it when I heard the door to the room, which was empty except for me, open with a slight creak. I glanced up and found Ryan standing in the doorway holding a water bottle and a glove.
"Oh, hey Ryan!" I said, smiling. Since I had met Rhia and his mother, we had become pretty great friends.
"Hey, Kellie! I just got off the phone with my mum...she asked how you were doing. She and Rhia just love you," Ryan said, smiling as he dropped his glove on a table and sat down in a chair across from me.
"Oh, I love them too! They were so nice, and super funny, too. I'm definitely going to visit them next time I'm in Australia!" I replied, and then I paused and asked, "Hey, you haven't seen Felix recently, have you?"
"Oh, yeah, he's up in Don's office, talking with Jack," Ryan answered, speaking of the Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu and the General Manager Jack Zduriencik. "So, what are you reading?" He asked, nodding to the book that was now lying open beside me.
I held up the thick book, purple with a black spine, and laughed, saying, "Oh, Harry Potter. Are you surprised?"
"Hey, I can't blame you. Those aren't books that you can read just once or twice!” Ryan said, laughing. Then he leaned in as though he had a secret and added with a clever smile, “You may not believe me, but I'm a closet Harry Potter fan. A big one!"
"That's awesome! Well, I'm reading the Half-Blood Prince, because the last time I really had the chance to read this was when I was preparing for my role in that film. It's been a while...and I really love this one!"
Just then the door opened again and Felix came in looking expressionless. "Hey, Felix, I was thinking that before we head up to the farm tomorrow, we could stop in Everett and I can show you and Mia where I grew up!" I suggested
"Oh, sure, sounds good." Felix mumbled, taking a seat.
"We're going up to the Tulip Festival in Skagit Valley tomorrow. You should come with! It's really a lot of fun," I suggested to Ryan.
"Oh, sounds cool...maybe I will," Ryan answered, though he was looking at Felix with a confused look on his face as he responded. I programmed my phone number into Ryan's phone and then put his in my phone so I could call him with details later. Then I looked up at Felix, finally realizing why Ryan had been watching him.
Felix slouched in the chair, legs resting on a bench and arms crossed, looking very glum. "Babe, what's up? Are you all right?" I asked
Felix looked up at me and then sighed deeply. He straightened up in his chair and finally answered me. "I'm....I'm getting traded to the Yankees."
My heart sank a little when I heard the words coming out of his mouth. Traded...to the Yankees?! Felix had always talked about how he wanted to stay with the Mariners for his whole career, and he really loathed the Yankees as a whole. I let the words sink in for a moment before I stuttered, "You're....you're getting traded? Oh....oh, Felix. I'm so sorry, babe."
Felix didn't say anything, so I looked at Ryan, hoping he could help me think of a way to make the situation better. I thought about our relationship--I was living in Seattle now, and Felix and Mia would be going to New York City for the entire season. Could we really manage 4 months of the year together? Suddenly my apartment in New York came to mind--untouched since I had lived there for Gatsby, it would be perfect for me to live there and be with Felix all the time.
"Oh, Felix, I've got my apartment in New York! I can move there and stay with you the whole time, and take care of Mia just like now. See, it won't be too bad!"
Felix slouched in his seat a little more and didn't make eye contact with me. He paused for a good 30 seconds before saying quietly, "I don't think you should go with me."
"Sorry, what?" I asked, shocked. I was convinced I must have heard him wrong.
"I...I don't think you should go with me," Felix clarified.
There was a very awkward silence in the room. My head was spinning, my bottom lip was quivering, and a million questions popped into my head. Only one came out of my mouth, though, which was, "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"It's just...too much. I don't want you to move to another city with me. That's getting too serious. I think you should stay here."
"What, and be your non-serious girlfriend, 4 months out of the year?" I said, flustered. I glanced up at Ryan and realized how awkward he must be feeling. He was being polite, not wanting to get up and walk out but also not wanting to listen in, so his eyes were on the ceiling above my head, as though he was thinking about something totally unrelated. I wished he didn't have to be there, for his own sake.
"That's not what I meant. It's just...I don't want you living in New York."
"And since when is that your job, to tell me where to live?" I demanded, though I kept my voice soft. "Felix, I'm offering to pick up and leave the life I have here to be with you. So either you accept that and I go with you, or you go to New York and I stay here and that's it for us. You know what I want, but it's your choice to make."
There was a long pause--Felix was thinking it through. I couldn't understand why he didn't want me to go with him, and why this was such a tough decision to make. Why couldn’t he jump up and tell me he wanted me to be with him forever and hold me close like I wanted him to? Finally Felix said, "I just...I don't think..." he paused, but that was all I needed to hear. Not wanting to make a big scene, I quietly picked up my book and my purse, slipped past Ryan, and walked out.
As soon as I got out of the room, I felt tears stinging in my eyes. I needed to find somewhere that I could be alone, so I quickly went out to the field. Most of the players were finished practicing and had gone home to rest before the night game. Those that were still on the field were way out by the bullpens, so I figured it was safe for me to sit in the stands and have enough privacy to cry. Instead of taking a seat, I sat on the cold concrete stairway, burying my face in my arms, and beginning to sob.
It was a good five minutes before I stopped crying, and only because Ryan joined me. "For what it's worth," he began, walking up the steps toward me, "I think Felix was a total ass back there." He flashed a small smile, and then sat down next to me on the step. "You gonna be okay?"
I sniffled and wiped the mascara from my cheeks as best I could. "I just....I don't understand what just happened. I mean, yesterday Felix was completely normal. He was telling me he loved me, nothing seemed weird. And suddenly..." I trailed off, trying to avoid more waterworks.
"I'm sorry, Kellie. I wish I knew what to tell you, but...all I can say is that I really am sorry that this happened to you. You deserve better than that." Ryan patted my shoulder kindly.
"Well, Felix gave me a ride here, so I'm gonna go call a cab, I guess." I said after a moment, resigned to going home and eating lots of chocolate ice cream.
"Oh, don't call a cab; I'll give you a ride back to your apartment. I'm going that way, anyway." Ryan offered. We both stood up and he got his bag from the locker room.
On the drive back to my apartment, I said, "Well, I guess the tulip festival is a no-go tomorrow. It's a bummer; I was really looking forward to it. I haven't been up there since I was about 7 or 8."
"Hey, just because Felix isn't going doesn't mean you shouldn't!" Ryan said, smiling conspiratorially to me, "Why don't you go anyway? I'll go with. You really should do it. Get out and enjoy yourself, don't let Felix bring you down."
I felt very happy about that idea, and I decided to do it. “Okay, I’ll see you in the morning,” I finally said after Ryan and I planned for him to pick me up and drive up there. I closed the door to his car and headed up to my apartment. I immediately drew the curtains and turned on the TV, spending the rest of the evening on the couch. I ordered in Chinese takeout, pulled a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream out of the freezer, and spent the night curled up, crying off and on, and keeping the outside world closed off as best as I could.
------------------------------------------
“Good morning, sunshine!” Ryan said, handing me a mocha as I climbed in his car early the next morning. I was wearing a cream Diane von Furstenberg sundress with yellow and blue geometric design, a blue short-sleeved thin cardigan, and brown distressed flat leather Frye boots. It was the outfit I had planned to wear with Felix on what was supposed to be a romantic day, but I wasn’t really in the mood to pick out anything else, so I just put on the outfit I had laid out the previous morning.
“Morning, Ryan. Thanks for the coffee,” I said, smiling. We merged on the freeway and I checked my phone—I hadn’t looked at it since the day before at Safeco. There were three missed calls and four text messages from Felix. I didn’t check my voicemail or my text messages, just tossed it back in my purse.
“So…how are you feeling?’ Ryan asked after we didn’t talk for a few minutes.
“Oh, I’m…” I paused, trying to think how to say how I was feeling without sounding too melodramatic, “I’ve been better,” and I offered a smile.
“It’ll get better, I promise.”
“I’m sure it will, but it definitely doesn’t feel like that right now,” I said.
As we drove up the I-5 toward Skagit Valley, we passed the Everett city limit sign and Ryan said, “Hey, Everett! This is where you used to live, right?”
“Yeah, and that’s the exit to my house coming up right there!” I smiled, remembering the time I’d lived in Everett as a child. Before I knew it, Ryan was veering off of the freeway at the exit and heading toward the main road.
“Well, you’re definitely going to show me where you grew up. That is, if you don’t mind…” Ryan looked at me cautiously, and I had a feeling we were thinking the same thing—that was exactly what I was planning to do with Felix. However, Felix wasn’t there, and I really wanted to see my childhood home. So who better to do it with than a good friend like Ryan?
“Not at all! Turn right here, and then you’ll turn right again on 112th street.” I instructed him, pointing out my favorite pizza place, the high school I would’ve gone to, and the gas station we walked to for snacks growing up on the way.
“So this is where the famous Kellie Holt grew up, huh?” Ryan asked. We had parked on the side of 112th street and walked down the street I lived on.
“Yep! That right there was Ashley and Kayla’s house, their parents bought our house when we moved. And that right there was Shawn and Phil’s house. They had a 4-year-old son named Nathan,” I explained along the way, pointing out who lived in every house. “And that, right there, is the house I grew up in!”
The house was humble with a tidy front yard and a gravel driveway. It wasn’t grand or extravagant—nothing near that—but it was special to me. I pointed out the window to my former bedroom and Ryan said, “So, should we go knock on the door?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re kind of a celebrity, Kellie. Whoever lives there would probably be more than willing to let you see your old home. They’d love to know that you used to live here!” Ryan said. He nudged my shoulder, and I smiled.
“I love that idea!” I cried. Ryan led the way down the driveway and up to the front door. “My dad built this railing,” I added proudly as we reached the front door. I reached out and knocked firmly twice, my stomach fluttering as I waited for someone to open the door.
We could hear voices inside, and then the door opened and a young woman with curly red hair stood inside. She looked at us, did a double take, and then cried, “Oh my gosh!”
“Er…hi, my name is—“
“You’re Kellie Holt!” She interrupted
I laughed lightly and then said, “Er, yeah, I am. Nice to meet you.”
Two little girls came running up to the door at that moment, and they both screamed in unison.
“Alice, Lily, quiet!” the woman said, and then she opened up the screen door and held out her hand. “I’m Macy Walson. Nice to meet you. So, er…what brings you here?”
“Well, I actually used to live in this house.” I paused, and Macy’s jaw dropped. “Yeah, so we were actually wondering if we could look around?”
Macy allowed me in, and she introduced me to her daughters who, as it turned out, were huge Harry Potter fans, and I introduced them to Ryan. Ryan whipped a slim digital camera out of his back pocket, which had video on it, so we recorded my little tour of the house so I could show my parents later.
“Thank you so much for everything!” I said, hugging Macy and her girls as we left. I had autographed about a million things for the girls, everything they asked me to sign, and taken a lot of pictures with them. “I’m sure next time my parents are in town they’ll want to visit, but I promise I’ll call in advance now that I have your number!”
It had been over an hour and a half by the time Ryan and I got back on the freeway. I’d showed him my elementary school, my old church, and my grandparents’ old houses. About twenty minutes later we exited again at the tulip farms. “Wow, this is incredible!” Ryan said as we walked toward the fields together. There were miles of colorful tulips all around us.
As we roamed the stands and picked out flowers, Ryan said, “Hey, thanks for showing me where you grew up, by the way,” Ryan said as he chose a long-stemmed orange tulip and handed it to me to put in my basket, “That was really fun.”
“Yeah, no problem! You know, I’m glad you’re with me. I don’t think Felix would’ve appreciated any of this today—my old home, the places I used to go, or this tulip festival. He just isn’t like me in that way at all…”
Ryan paused as though to search for words, and then said, “Well, I think Felix didn’t appreciate a lot of things. Like you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Felix—he took advantage of you, Kellie. He didn’t love you like he should have.”
I was a bit confused, so I looked Ryan in the eye and said, “Do you know something about Felix that I don’t know, Ryan?”
There was a long silence. Ryan fiddled with the stem of a tulip and put whatever he was about to say off. I caught his eye and he finally sighed and said, “Kellie…I’m not positive, but I think that Felix was cheating on you.”
I felt like my heart had stopped. Everything in my mind just shut off, and I stuttered, “N-no! What are you….no!”
Ryan seemed at a loss for words, but I didn’t want to hear it anyway. “He didn’t cheat on me. He told me he loved me. Why would he cheat on me?”
“Kellie…he flirted with a lot of women on the road. He took them out to dinner, he asked them for their numbers…I don’t know what else he did, but…”
I felt tears welling in my eyes. It had been a few hours since I had cried last, and I had hoped I would be able to make it through the whole day without crying. But now I was furious—humiliated, scorned, hurt. The tears stung as they fought to spill out, and I said, “Ryan, you were my friend…or at least I considered you my friend. How could you see all of that and not tell me?”
I turned swiftly on the spot and hurried away to find a place to be alone, hoping Ryan wouldn’t follow me. I found a bench that was completely surrounded by tall Tulips, so I sat down and tried to collect my thoughts. Was Felix really sleeping with women on the road the whole time? I knew that some women threw themselves shamelessly at athletes, but I had thought that Felix was different from those superstar athletes. I had thought he loved me and that was all that mattered.
I heard a noise nearby, and I assumed it was Ryan, but he was nowhere in sight. Just as I was about to get up, my phone started ringing, and my mom’s picture flashed on the display. I knew that she could always make me feel better, so I answered the call. “Hello?” I said, my voice slightly shaky.
“Hi honey! How’s it going? Are you guys enjoying the tulip festival?” my mom asked. I clicked it on speaker phone and set my phone in my lap.
“Oh, yeah, it’s great. Really pretty…lots of colors!” I tried my best to sound happy and upbeat, but I feared that she could hear the sadness in my voice.
“Does Mia like the flowers?”
I paused. This was it—she was asking about Mia, so I couldn’t put off the topic. “Mom…” I paused again, trying to hold back a sob, “Felix and I….we broke up.” I heard another noise nearby, but when I looked around, I still didn’t see anybody. It must just be the wind.
“Oh, Kellie! Oh no, honey! What happened?” My mom asked
“He….well, yesterday Felix told me he was getting traded to the Yankees,” I began. The wind rustled through the flowers around me again, and I continued, “so I said I could live in my apartment in New York so we could still be together…and he told me he didn’t want me to go with him!”
My mom sounded shocked. “What? Why would he say that?”
“I don’t know! I thought things were so great, and this just came out of left field. He said it was just too serious, and he wanted me to stay here!”
“Well what did you say to that?” My mom asked. I could tell she was hoping I had put him in his place.
“I asked if he expected me to just stay in Seattle and be his non-serious girlfriend 4 months out of the year!” I cried. “So I told him, I was offering to pick up and move across the country to be with him. So he can either take the offer and I’ll go with him, or I’ll stay here and that’s it for us.”
“Good for you, honey! I know that couldn’t have been easy,” My mom said soothingly
“Thanks. It was hard, though. I didn’t do anything yesterday…I just cried a lot. It was pretty bad. But Ryan was going to come up with us to the festival today anyway, so he convinced me to get out of the house and get Felix off my mind. So we’re at the festival right now.”
“Oh, well I guess you should get back to Ryan, then?” My mom asked.
“Mom…” I didn’t want to tell her what had just happened, but I figured she would find out eventually, and I’d rather it be intentional. “There’s one other thing. Ryan told me today…well, he’s not completely sure, but…he thinks Felix might’ve cheated on me.”
“WHAT?!” My mom cried.
“Yeah. On the road…Ryan said that Felix was always with other women, flirting and taking them to dinner. He’s not sure if anything…else happened, but really, what more do I need to know?”
I finished talking to my mom—she consoled me and jokingly offered to send my dad up to knock some sense into Felix. Then I got up and decided to go find Ryan. I felt bad about how I had left him, for overreacting, so I wanted to apologize and see if I could still salvage our day. I spotted Ryan standing in front of a vendor stand talking to a woman selling souvenirs.
“Hey, Ryan…” I began cautiously.
Ryan turned around, holding a small brown bag the woman had just handed over to him. “Oh, hey…how are you feeling?”
“I’m better. I shouldn’t have gotten so mad at you over that whole thing…so I’m sorry for that.”
Ryan and I began walking along a path surrounded by tulips. “Well, I can’t really blame you. You were right—I should’ve told you sooner. Felix shouldn’t have been allowed to do what he did without someone calling him out. I just wish it had been me to do that…”
“Ryan, we didn’t really know each other that well until the last few months. I couldn’t have expected you to call out your teammate for somebody you barely knew…”
“Well, to be honest…I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me and you’d just choose Felix and hate me, or something,” Ryan admitted.
“Well, I don’t know what I would’ve done—you may be right, after all—but I like to think that I would’ve believed you,” I said, stopping in the middle of the path, “Thank you, Ryan. You’re a good friend.” Ryan enveloped me in a warm hug.
Ryan dropped me back at my apartment in the late afternoon—we had spent the whole afternoon at the festival. As I was getting out of his car, Ryan handed me the brown bag he had been carrying the whole afternoon. “This is for you—a little souvenir for today,” he had said. When I got to my flat, I dropped my purse on the table and curled up on the couch. I opened the bag and found a lump of tissue paper. Unwrapping it, I carefully revealed a handcrafted glass tulip in vibrant pink and a green stem.
“Wow…” I breathed, holding the tulip in the light, “This is incredible…”
After vowing to find a way to thank Ryan for the gift, I finally did what I had been dreading all day—I took my phone out of my pocket and checked my messages. I read the four text messages, all of which were a variation of “Will you answer your phone please?” I sighed and deleted them. Then I dialed my voicemail and hit speaker.
“You have two new messages. First message,” the robotic voice announced, and then Felix’s message began, “Kellie, it’s Felix. Call me.”
I wanted to laugh. Did he really think such a short, curt message would convince me? The next message started. “Kellie, baby, it’s me. I’m sorry. I was wrong. I want you to move with me to New York. Come over to my place tonight and I’ll show you how sorry I am. I love you.”
I closed my eyes and sighed. Why did he have to pretend he cared? That was going to make things difficult. I checked my watch and saw that I had two hours before I had to be at the theatre for Wicked, and Felix would be showing up to the field around the same time. “I might as well go over and get my stuff…and tell him what an asshole he is,” I said aloud to myself. I gathered my purse and keys and headed downstairs.
Fifteen minutes later I was knocking on Felix’s front door. I adjusted my dress idly as I waited for Felix to answer. He swung the door open and looked relieved to see me. “Baby…I’m so glad you came,” he said, stepping out onto the porch. He placed his hands on my hips and leaned down to kiss me, but I stepped back.
“Felix, if you think I’m just going to forget what happened yesterday, you’re wrong.”
Felix shrugged and said, “I was hoping that would be the case, but I understand how you feel. I shouldn’t have said what I said. I was feeling weird—and scared. I don’t want to go to New York City, and I thought that if you stayed here, it would mean I was staying here too. I don’t know why I said what I did, but I was wrong, and I’m sorry.” Then he took another step forward, reached around my waist, and pulled me in close, leaning over to kiss me.
Every angry thought inside my head just melted at that moment—I wanted so badly to be with Felix. After all, he had admitted to being wrong. I let him kiss me, and I kissed back with fierce passion. Forgetting what Ryan had told me in the heat of the moment, I wrapped my arms around Felix’s neck and we stumbled back into his house. As the door slammed shut behind us, it hit me—there was a reason I was mad at Felix. I pressed my palms on his chest and pushed him away.
“No. No…it’s not going to work out like that,” I said, praying for confidence as I spoke. I knew what I had to say, but I chose my words carefully. “Felix, why did you cheat on me?” I demanded.
“Who told you that?” Felix asked, but then realized what he had said and added, “I mean, why would anybody think that? Who told you that lie?”
I sighed. I wasn’t going to mention Ryan—Felix was still going to be with the Mariners for another week before moving to New York, and I didn’t want there to be any tension between them. “Felix, I really don’t think you deserve an explanation. We’re over. I’d appreciate if you could drop my things off at my apartment before you leave. I’ll bring your things over tomorrow.” I picked up my purse, opened the front door, and left. As I walked toward my car, I could hear Felix swearing in Spanish, but I didn’t look back once.
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The following day I went to Felix’s house with a box full of his stuff. Lisa offered to go with me for moral support, so she held the box as I knocked firmly on Felix’s door. My face fell when the door was wrenched open by Mia, her face lighting up when she saw me. “Hi Kellie!” She cried, smiling widely. I knelt down on one knee and hugging Mia tightly, knowing full well that this would probably be the last time I’d see her. “I love you, Mia,” I whispered in her ear.
I heard footsteps and looked up to find Mariella in the doorway. “Hello,” she said in her strongly accented English.
“Hello, Mariella. Felix told me you were learning English,” I said politely
“Yes, I am learning fast,” She said, offering a smile. She spoke carefully but clearly.
“It sounds like you are,” I smiled back and then asked, “Is Felix around?”
When Felix came to the door, I took the box of his and Mia’s stuff from Lisa and handed it over. “All of Mia’s clothes and toys are in there that were at my apartment, and everything of yours as well. Your house key is in the pocket of your jeans,” I explained.
Felix handed me a small box of my own things that included my apartment key, and just as we were about to say goodbye, Mia chimed in, “Mommy is living here now! Are you going to sleep over still?”
I stopped dead and looked from Mia to Mariella to Felix. That’s when I noticed that Mariella’s hand was resting casually on Felix’s lower back. “Go play in your room, Mia.” Mariella instructed her, and Mia waved to me and ran upstairs.
“Wow, Felix. You moved on quickly.” I said, my voice emotionless.
“It was meant to be. Felix and I were together for 8 years. He finally came to his senses,” Mariella said, though I could tell by the look on her face that she felt sorry for what had happened.
“He came to his senses the day after I dumped him? You must feel so lucky.” I sighed and looked at Lisa, then back to Mariella. “Mariella, you could do so much better than Felix. I know for a fact that he cheated on me when he was traveling, and the chances are he’ll do the same with you. Why don’t you do what you know is right and leave him?”
Mariella said nothing, and Lisa tugged on my arm. “Let’s go, hon,” She said softly, and I slowly turned with her and walked to her car. I didn’t really know what to feel, so I just buried my head in my hands and cried. Lisa rubbed my back soothingly and told me everything would be okay, and I knew that she was right. With time, my life would be back to normal and I would be happy once again, I just had to get through this little rough patch and I’d come out on top again.
That evening after the show I was ready to head home and go straight to sleep. It was nearly midnight when I got to my apartment, and I checked my cell phone, which I had accidentally left at home. There was a missed call from Molly and a voicemail. I dialed my voicemail, put the phone on speaker, and set it on the bathroom counter as I washed my face and got ready for bed.
“Hey Kellie, it’s Molly. It’s about 7:30 in London, so…11:30 your time. I was hoping to catch you before you went to bed, but maybe you got home earlier than usual tonight. Anyway, call me when you get this.”
I had a feeling Molly wanted me to call her right away, so after changing into my comfiest pajamas and a warm, plush robe, I climbed into bed and dialed Molly’s office phone. “Hi, Molly, what’s up?” I asked when she answered—it was weird to me that it was nearly 8:30am where she was, and there I was just going to sleep.
“Hi, Kellie…I just wanted to do some rumor control.” Molly said
“Rumor control?” I asked, confused about what the rumor was.
“Well, TMZ has posted a few exclusives about you. It seems that a paparazzi followed you around yesterday at…was it a flower field?”
My heart sunk—so that must have been the sound I had heard in the flowers behind me. “Uh, yeah, I was at a tulip festival today,” I confirmed quietly.
“Ah, yes. Well, they video taped you having a conversation with your mom on speakerphone. They got everything, hon.”
I was completely silent for a moment. I dropped my head in one hand while the other held my phone to my ear. “Oh…my gosh. They got everything? Oh, Molly, what are we going to do?!”
“I don’t know, Kellie. I think that at this point, I mean, they’ve got a confession from you on video. The best thing for us to do is tell the complete truth. People will respect that, and they’ll side with you right away. We can work with this. Are you going to be okay?”
“Absolutely. It’s not going to be easy getting over Felix with the whole world watching, or whatever, but I’ve got some pretty great friends here. Lisa and Ryan have already helped me start getting over it.” I said, smiling as I thought about how much they helped and supported me.
“Oh, right. Is that Ryan Rowland-Smith you’re talking about?” Molly asked.
I was surprised that she knew who he was, but I figured I had probably mentioned him in the past and she had remembered. “Yeah, it is. Why?”
“Ah, well, the other report that TMZ posted was that you’re receiving consolation from Ryan and that you guys have, as the website says, ‘moved on from a simple friendship to a budding romance’. They’re saying that you and Ryan are dating!”
I sighed. “Of course they are! I can’t possibly just have a male friend, I have to be dating him. Nope, that’s a complete lie, Molly. Ryan really came through as a great friend for me. Despite the fact that he is still a teammate of Felix, he supported me through the breakup and helped me get through the first couple days. We’re not even close to being romantically involved. I won’t be able to think about anything like that for a while.”
“I didn’t think so. Well, I’ll get a statement out within a couple hours. I’ll let you go, hon, you’re probably tired! Call me if you need anything, Kellie, I’m always here!” Molly promised.
When I woke up in the morning, I hopped on the computer and checked my email. There was an email from Molly with the statement she had sent out to all the right media outlets. I read it aloud, “As Kellie’s representative, I am sad to announce that she and Felix Hernandez have ended their relationship. Originally the split was amicable, but Kellie soon found out that Felix Hernandez had been cheating on Kellie while traveling with his baseball team. Kellie is extremely hurt that she put her love, trust, and commitment with someone who would just take advantage of her, and I hope that the media will respect her feelings and give Kellie some room while she recovers from such a difficult breakup.”
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Over the past year I had been slowly but surely writing songs and recording them in the studio both in London and Seattle. When I finally felt that my songs were good, Jaden, my producer from January Records, began working with some of the producers to cut my album and get it ready. My album was to be released in the second week of September, so we had a lot of promotions to get ready for it. The album was called La La Land, after one of my songs.
Since I was finished with my run in Wicked—my last performance was two days prior—I flew to London to prepare for the La La Land release. Lisa and Ryan, who had quickly become my two best friends in Seattle, drove me to the airport to see me off. “Good luck with your CD!” Lisa said, hugging me tightly. Ryan did the same, saying, “I guess we’ll be seeing you when you get back!”
“Before I forget, you guys, here’s a copy for each of you!” I handed them each a blank CD—even I hadn’t seen the real CD as it was going to be sold—with my songs on them. On the discs I had written “La La Land—just for you. With love, Kellie!” With that, I hugged them each one last time and headed into the airport to get on my plane to London.
In August I’d done a photo shoot for my album art, and the day before the release, Jaden handed me a brand new copy in his office. The CD looked even cooler than I had hoped. On the cover was “La La Land” painted on glass four times in black, with “Kellie Holt” In red in the middle of the cover. I was standing behind the words holding a paint brush and looking like the epitome of a rockstar. “Oh my gosh, Jaden! This is amazing!” I gushed, feeling completely ecstatic.
“We’ll be unveiling it tonight at your release party, and I think everyone’s going to love it. Now, that’s your copy—the first copy made. How does it feel to be a published recording artist?” Jaden asked, smiling.
“It feels incredible!” I cried.
That night I got ready with Savannah, Nicole, and Karigan in the bedroom of my house. “I can’t believe you have your very own CD!” Nicole cried as we stood in front of my mirror contemplating what we should all wear to the party.
“I know, even I can’t believe it!” I said, holding up a black satin dress. “I want to look really rockstar tonight…” I added, tossing the dress on my bed among the giant pile of discarded outfits we’d gone through.
“Okay, so tell us what all the songs are about,” Karigan said.
Just when I was about to start explaining the basic meaning behind each song I had written, I picked out the perfect dress for the party. “Ooh! How about this?” I asked, holding up a white Versace dress with zipper detailing on the bodice.
“That’s perfect! Very rockstar,” Savannah confirmed.
I slipped the dress on, along with some hot gold Gucci pumps to match the zippers, and finished helping the girls pick out their outfits. The party was at the London home of Marc Connelly, the head producer at January. There were important people everywhere, so Jaden brought me around to meet everyone. When he was finished, I spotted Molly and ran over to say hello.
“Oh, Kellie, I miss seeing you every day!” Molly exclaimed as she hugged me.
“I miss you too! How’s the wedding plans coming?” I asked. Molly and her fiancé mark at been engaged for a year and a half, and as far as I knew, no date had been set yet.
“Oh! Well,” Molly said, taking Mark’s hand as he joined us, “We’re both just so busy, planning a wedding was just impossible, so we just had a civil ceremony, just me and Mark and our parents, plus my sister and his brother and sister-in-law. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you, but it was just last week, and I know you’ve been so busy putting the finishing touches on your album…”
“Oh my gosh, you guys, that’s great! I don’t mind that you didn’t tell me. Congratulations!” I cried, hugging them both.
I mingled with the rest of the guests for a while. Quite a few of the Harry Potter cast members were there—Dan and Katie, Emma and Matt, Bonnie and James, Rupert, and of course Tom, who was still dating Savannah. Of course Nicole, Savannah, and Karigan were there, and Carmen and Amelia had managed to make it as well. Halfway through the night I performed two of my songs. There was a stage set up by Marc’s pool, and it was dark outside, with fairy lights in the trees and floating candles in the pools. I performed Trainwreck and Forever and Always; I had written the latter about Felix last-minute and it had quickly become on of my favorite tracks from the CD. Though the title sounded like a love song, it was actually about how Felix had promised me “forever and always” and it hadn’t lasted at all.
When I got off stage a familiar-looking girl came up to me right away. “Hi, I’m Demi. Great performance!” She said. She looked a couple years younger than me, and she was absolutely beautiful with chocolate brown hair and soft features. She held out her hand with the introduction.
“Oh, you’re Demi Lovato, right?” I asked, suddenly realizing where I had seen her before—she was a singer and an actress, and she was in a Disney channel show and a couple movies that I had watched with Mia. “I knew I recognized you somehow. I love your music!”
“Oh, thank you! That’s such a compliment coming from you,” She said, beaming.
“Ah, I see you’ve met the lovely Demi Lovato!” Jaden said, walking over to join us, “She’s quite a talented young girl. You two are a lot a like, actually—both actors and singers, both very, very talented.” Demi and I looked at each other and smiled. I could tell she was a very nice girl, and I hope I’d get the chance to get to know her a lot more throughout our careers.
I headed to the press area to do a few interviews before getting back to the party. “Hi Kellie, I’m Marcia Lehman from E Online; How does it feel to have an entire party dedicate to you and your new CD?”
“It’s so flattering to see all the people that came out to support me, and tonight I get to personally thank everyone that worked behind the scenes to make this happen,” I said.
“Now, we’ve heard your singles “Love Story” and “Get Back”, and they’re two very different types of sounds. What kind of music can we expect from the rest of your album?”
“I don’t really know if I can define the whole album as one genre. I wanted to experiment with different types of music and find what I loved, and what I settled with is…I guess you could say it’s rock with a bit of a country influence.”
“Are you the love song type of girl?”
“Oh, there’s some love songs in there…but there are some not-so-love songs as well. There’s something wonderful about songwriting—it gives you a way to express your feelings. I wrote a couple songs about breakups that I’ve gone through in the past. It’s a nice release. Of course there are also a few just-for-fun songs, just the kind you want to dance to.”
“Well, I can’t wait to hear it all. Are there any other appearances you’re doing in conjunction with the release?” She asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be at the Mark Records Store on 4th and Yard for a signing tomorrow afternoon, and then I’m having a special release party for fans that anyone can come to in two days at Disneyland! It’s open to the first 150 people that show a copy of my CD when they go into Disneyland that day, and I’m going to be hanging out one-on-one with all of them. I’m really excited for that!”
“Sounds like fun! Your CD is expected to be a huge hit, so congratulations for that. Have fun tonight!” Marcia said, and added, “Anything you’d like to say to the E Online VLOG viewers?”
“Yeah!” I said, turning to face the camera, “Hey guys! Thanks for all your love and support, it means the world to me and I wouldn’t be here without you all. Buy Don’t Forget tomorrow! I love you!” I blew a kiss and waved, then laughed.
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The following afternoon I was riding to Mark Records Store for my signing at 3. Carmen was with me—I had temporarily hired her back for the few days of promotion, but afterwards she would no longer be my assistant because she was starting a job as Gwen Stefani’s full time assistant, something I was a bit sad about, though I was very proud and excited for her. “We’ll be arriving at the store in five minutes,” She said, looking at her clipboard. “Jaden said there’s a ton of people there, so hopefully your hand won’t get tired!” Carmen added with a nervous laugh.
There were over 700 fans attending my CD signing, and according to Jaden there were more but they were regrettably turned away because of the immense amount of fans. Directly after the signing, Carmen and I headed back to my house. We ate dinner with the girls, and then said our goodbyes again, as Carmen and I were heading to LA for the Disneyland party.
“I promise I’ll come back soon! I’m done with Wicked in Seattle, so maybe I’ll spend some time here while I decide what’s up next for me!” I told the girls as we shared tearful hugs. They all agreed that it was a good idea, and Carmen and I got in the car waiting outside for us. I rolled down the window and waved at the girls as they stood on the sidewalk, until the car turned the corner and headed to Heathrow and they were gone.
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“Disneyland, here we come!” I cried the following afternoon as Carmen and I got ready to head to the park. They were shutting down a section of the park and a certain number of fans were given VIP wristbands for bringing my CD to the park with them. I was going to be literally partying with the fans—signing autographs, taking pictures, riding the rides, and performing a few songs.
I had bought a video camera in London so that I could record everything and make a youtube account for fans to see my own personal videos, and I carried it with me, giving dorky commentary as Carmen and I walked out to the car.
“Hey guys! I’m on my way to Disneyland for a fun little party with some fans!” I said, holding the camera out so that it showed both me and Carmen. “This is Carmen—say hello to youtube, Carmen!” Carmen waved and yelled hello. “Carmen is my friend and personal assistant extraordinaire!”
When we arrived at Disneyland, we were escorted to my little section of the park. Carmen and I were bored as we waited, so we took a video of ourselves talking about clothes. I was wearing a denim cream t-shirt that said “Que Sera Sera” in colorful letters, a black vest, a denim miniskirt, and brown flat boots. Jaden and Molly were with us, along with a few bodyguards Jaden had insisted on hiring. I made sure they were going to lie low, because I didn’t feel like I would need them, but Jaden wanted them around just in case.
Five minutes before the fans were let in, Molly disappeared to take a phone call and returned with a big smile on her face. Carmen had my video camera and she was recording me talking when Molly said, “Kellie, your three biggest fans are here to see you!” She pointed behind me.
When I turned around, I immediately screamed. My parents and Megan were standing there with big smiles on their faces. I jumped up and down a couple times. “You’re here! I thought you couldn’t come!” I cried, running over and hugging them.
I had tears welling up in my eyes as Megan explained, “We only said that so we could surprise you!”
After the happy reunion, it was time to let the fans in. I pulled my family onstage with me followed by Molly, Carmen, and Jaden. The security guards opened the gates, and 150 people came bursting through, running up to crowd around the stage. They were cheering wildly and I was videotaping the whole thing. Jaden handed me my mic and I passed the camera over to Megan so I could welcome them.
“Hello everybody!” I said, and the crowd cheered. “I’m Kellie Holt! I’m so glad you guys could make it today, this is going to be a really special afternoon. I’m basically going to be hanging out with you all, so come up and introduce yourselves when you get the chance. Now, since we’re here because of my new CD, Don’t Forget, why don’t I start out with a song?” The crowd cheered and my band started up with the beat to Gonna Get Caught. “This one is called ‘Gonna Get Caught,’ so sing along if you know the words!”
You reeled me in with your smile
You made me melt with your voice
Now I've been gone now for awhile
Just to find that I'm your seventh choice
And I don't wanna pay the cost,
But it be best if you get lost...
Cause we know you'll never change!
Chorus:
Don't say that you need me
And don't play these games with my mind
You better get out of my head cause your wasting your time
And don't say it's forever
And don't play cause you had your shot
You better stop messing around cause your gonna get caught
You promise me all of your time
I guess I'm not the only one
But see, it's my heart on the line... this time
I'm your number one or I'm gone
Chorus:
Don't say that you need me
And don't play these games with my mind
You better get out of my head cause your wasting your time
And don't say it's forever
And don't play cause you had your shot
You better stop messing around cause your gonna get caught
Go and try to get me back
Won't forget about our past
Never had the guts to leave
Now you're making it,
Now you're making it much easier for me to see
Don't say that you sorry
For breaking every inch of my heart
I should've known from the start now it's time to get lost
Don't say that you need me
And don't play these games with my mind
You better get out of my head cause your wasting your time
And don't say it's forever
And don't play cause you had you shot
You better stop messing around cause you gonna get caught
You better stop messing around cause you gonna get caught!
When I finished, Jaden took the mic and announced to everyone that they should go ahead and ride the rides and hang out and eat, because they’d all get the chance to spend some time with me. I was glad to see that most of the fans listened to him, making for a really casual, relaxed atmosphere. I hopped off the stage and took Megan with me to interact with the fans.
I flipped my video camera on and pointed it at the two of us. “So they just let everybody in for the party and I performed a song, and now it’s time to start meeting everybody!”
The first person I came across was a girl in her early teens that was sitting on a bench. “Hey, how’s it going?” I asked, sitting next to her.
“Hi, I’m Abby!” she said excitedly
“I’m Kellie. Nice to meet you, Abby! Where are you from?”
“I’m from North Dakota. I’m going to be a singer someday!” She said eagerly
“That’s awesome! I wish you luck! Now, my sister Megan and I could use a friend to ride the haunted mansion with us, want to join us?”
“Yeah!” Abby said, jumping up from the bench. We walked over to the ride. Since the area was closed off for the party, there was virtually no line, just a few people waiting to get on. I introduced myself to them—two 14-year-old girls named Holly and Crystal that were best friends, a mother and daughter named Candice and Lola, and a 17-year-old boy named Marcus. Marcus didn’t have anybody to ride with, so we let him squeeze into our car.
“So, Marcus, where are you from?” I asked as the car started moving through the mansion.
“I’m from Portland. I came here just to meet you!” He replied eagerly
“Oh, that’s great! Have you ever driven up to Seattle?” I asked
“Yeah, I went up to see you perform in Wicked in June. I swear I’m like your biggest fan!”
“Oh, that’s so sweet, Marcus! Well I’m glad I get to meet you today!”
“I wrote you a poem…” Marcus said, clearing his throat. “It’s really short, but…”
“Oh, I’d love to hear it,” I said, ignoring the hysterical face Megan was making at me from behind Marcus.
“Okay, here goes: Kellie, you are my love, you are my life, you’re sent from above, and someday you’ll be my wife.”
Now I was really struggling to avoid Megan’s looks for fear of laughing and offending Marcus. Instead I smiled politely and said, “That was really nice, Marcus!”
When we got off the ride, Megan and I parted ways with Abby and Marcus. Once they were out of earshot, Megan burst out laughing, and I was quick to follow. “Well, Kellie, I guess we’ve found your future husband!” she said
We spent the next few hours personally meeting every single fan. At the end, I got onstage and performed two more songs, Tim Mcgraw and La La Land.
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